REFLECTIONS TODAY We rejoice at the birth of Mary since she prepares for the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus the Emmanuel, God-is-with-us. Mary participates in the mystery of redemption when God is incarnated through her womb as the virgin mother. The genealogy of Jesus Christ presents...
Herod Antipas rules Israel as a “puppet king” for the Roman Empire. He manages his little world the way he wants. He obtains a quickie divorce from his wife, a foreign princess, so he can marry Herodias who, alas, is married to his brother Philip. John the Baptist speaks against the illicit...
REFLECTIONS TODAY After Jesus silences the Sadducees on the resurrection, a Pharisee questions Jesus to trap Him. Jesus is not intimidated even if the challenge is presented in bad faith, seizing it as an opportunity to teach. “You shall love the Lord, your God.” Jesus quotes Dt 6:5, drawing...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ disciples are thrown off guard when Jesus says that it is difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of heaven. They have always believed that wealth is a sign of God’s favor, so that rich people are thought to be guaranteed of salvation. Jesus rejects this...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Peter approached Jesus and asked Him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided...
Here are practical pastoral guidelines from Jesus, offered to servant leaders of the Church, on how to settle issues and conflicts among members. The first approach is to resolve the issue between the parties involved. The dialogue must be done face to face rather than through impersonal methods...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus has barely descended Mount Tabor when people seek His help. What a marked contrast between the glory of God witnessed by Peter, James, and John on Mount Tabor and the human confusion and suffering that meet them on the plain. The nine Apostles have failed miserably in their...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The lives of Jesus and John the Baptist are intertwined. Besides being related by blood, they are also bound by a common mission. Jesus as God-sent Savior will proclaim the heavenly Father’s Kingdom, while John the Baptist is His herald. Even people like Herod see the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The parable of the weeds portrays Jesus providing enlightenment for His disciples. In addition, it also asserts that the “harvest” will come at the end of time. How might we be prepared for the final judgment? In his 2018 apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate , Pope...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The scribes and Pharisees are asking Jesus for a sign to prove His claim as God’s messenger. It is as if they are saying, “Prove Your assertions; produce Your credentials by doing something extraordinary.” Jesus responds by calling them an evil and unfaithful (adulterous)...
