REFLECTIONS TODAY John dramatizes the encounter between the risen Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Even though Jesus stands plainly in sight, Mary does not recognize him. He asks her, “Whom are you looking for?” (v 15)—a question that probes discipleship (Jn 1:38-41, where the early disciples stay...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • Jer 23:1-6 Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In the world that seeks much publicity, including the use of misinformation and disinformation, Matthew has a lesson for us. He points out that Jesus seeks to avoid publicity in his care of the sick, unlike most miracle workers. Matthew also applies the Servant figure to Jesus by...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In their zeal to safeguard the Sabbath rest, the Jewish rabbis have forbidden the performance of 39 tasks, among which is reaping, here equated with picking of the heads of grain. Jesus defends the disciples by reminding the rabbis that David and his men, out of hunger, had...
REFLECTIONS TODAY A yoke (Greek zugos) is a piece of wood placed across the necks of draft animals such as oxen or donkeys to enable a pair to pull a plow, cart, or heavy load together. As a yoke enables two to pull as one, the term also denotes a team, as in “yoke of oxen” (1 Kgs 19:19). In...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Greek word nepioi, here rendered as childlike, has two levels of meaning. In one level, nepioi refers to the little ones and the poor who are objects of Jesus’ Good News (Mt 11:5). Jesus calls them blessed because to them belongs the Kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:3). The nepioi,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The “mighty deeds” (Greek dunameis, biblical term for “miracles”) worked out by Jesus are deeds manifesting divine power. They demonstrate that Jesus has messianic authority. More so, they are outstanding signs of the coming of the Kingdom. Thus, the proper response to the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus is not asking his disciples to junk the fourth commandment: that of honoring one’s father and mother (Dt 5:16). In fact, Jesus expressly commands his disciples to honor and support their parents and condemns those who use the law to escape from this responsibility, as in...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • Amos 7:12-15 Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos, “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.” Amos...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The sparrow (Hebrew tsippor) is one of the cheapest articles sold for food, yet Jesus says that even this trifling creature is under the heavenly Father’s care. And while the strands of hair are too numerous to be counted, God has counted them all. These Semitic hyperbolic...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Matthew 10:16-23 The Bible refers to sheep more than 500 times, with specific terms indicating types on the basis of age, sex, and breed; in the Hebrew Scriptures most references are literal, while most in the New Testament are metaphorical. Domestic sheep...
REFLECTIONS TODAY On entering the host’s house, the apostle must express God’s blessing upon the household in the usual greeting, Shalom aleichem (“Peace be with you”). This greeting is a wish that all may be well with the persons greeted, who must be “worthy,” that is, accept the...
