Daily Reflections
This story of four men carrying their friend to Jesus is a powerful call to be helpful where we can. They were so determined to get him to Jesus that they opened a hole in the roof above Jesus when their way through the door was blocked because of the…
Read More
Going through today’s 1st reading (1 Samuel 4:1-11) one would rightly ask: “why were the Israelites defeated by the Philistines even when they brought the Ark of the Lord to their battlefield”? And what can we learn from their experience with God? I think that the reading we are given…
Read More
God’s Call When He Chooses, But Our Environment Matters Today’s first reading describes God’s call of a young Samuel as he faithfully ministered to the Priest Eli. At that time, when a young Levite ministered to priests in the sanctuary, nearby accommodations were made available for that purpose. So it…
Read More
Have you ever cried out to the Lord in such desperation, quite literally on your knees because you are too weak to do otherwise? In today’s first reading Hannah is pouring out her troubles to the Lord in such a way that Eli thinks she is drunk. She is so…
Read More
What happens in the silent spaces of a conversation? What happens in that moment between a call from the outside, and the listener’s response? Today’s Gospel reading, precisely in its simplicity, invites us into that mystery of when Christ called his first disciples, Peter and Andrew. Calling of the Apostles…
Read More
“The people were filled with expectation.” Luke 3:15 Expectation! Anticipation! The dictionary definition of both words is “a belief that something is going to happen or that something should be a certain way.“ “Great Expectations” is a novel written by Charles Dickens in 1861. It is the story of an…
Read More
John the Baptist as the Forerunner of Jesus Today’s Gospel (Jn 3:22-30) demonstrates the transition from the ministry of John the Baptist to that of Jesus. And offers some intriguing points about Jesus’ ministry and the role of John as the forerunner of Jesus. The encounter that took place between…
Read More
The Church’s experiences with heresies and conspiracies have been so intriguing and challenging. They have left both a sweet and a sour taste in the mouths of the chroniclers of Church history. The message of the good news of salvation invites us to know the truth that sets us free.…
Read More
The Church celebrates the feast of epiphany today. However, in countries where this feast is not a holy day of obligation, it is celebrated on the Sunday occurring between 2 and 8 January. Epiphany is one of the beautiful feasts that highlight the joys and mysteries of Christmas. Giving Christmas…
Read More
During different times of the year, we hear in the Mass especially from different authors of the Bible. In Advent, for example, we hear particularly from the prophet Isaiah foretelling the person of the Messiah. In this time after Christmas, we read from the writings of the apostle John. Perfect…
Read More