Daily Reflections
The readings of today (Numbers 21,4-9; John 8:21-30) put forward the image of the cross and its symbolic role for the restoration of human brokenness. The first reading is an excerpt of the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. The Israelites, out of weariness from the…
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Man naturally seeks the truth, but fallen man finds it difficult to know the truth. In philosophy, it is said that man only perceives the accidents, not the substance. In this context, ‘accidents’ means the physical properties of the thing we observe with our senses, e.g., the object’s color, height,…
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In today’s second reading, we encounter St. Paul sharing the effects of his new life in Christ. Moments before, he shares the fact that he is a “Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee, in zeal I persecuted the church, in righteousness based on the law…
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Preparing a retreat for a group of seminarians who were to be instituted as Lectors, I came across a text that struck me immensely. It is a poem attributed to St. Victorinus of Pettau, Bishop of the City of Poetovio (modern day Ptuj, in Slovenia) during the late third century…
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Today’s readings are quite unified in their ideas that Christ’s teachings that He comes from the Father and has come to save the just and to heal the brokenhearted and be received by his believers, while those who are his enemies want to kill him. Yet His time has not…
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals the Father as the source of Christ’s own life. The mission of the Messiah is sweet and simple: reveal the face of the Father. Jesus says, “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I…
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I wish to reflect on two very interesting statements from today’s gospel passage: Jesus’ response to those trying to stop His mission and His response to them. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is confronted by the Jewish leaders who were upset that He was working on the Sabbath. To…
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Picture this: a sanctuary. Still, sacred, and brimming with mystery. From the right side, something begins to stir. A small spring bubbles forth, emerging from the threshold of the temple. It’s quiet at first, barely brushing your ankles. But it doesn’t stay that way. What starts as a trickle becomes living…
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Once, my birthday was on a Sunday. I was quite new to the parish, and only a few knew, which was fine for me. After Mass, a sister greeted me (well, she remembered…), and just then a parishioner approached me. She has been looking for me to give me a…
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We read today that whoever is in Christ is a new creation. But how does that work, and how do we get there? We’ll start with two words: Reconciliation and Lent. Lent and Reconciliation Theoretically, we are using the Lenten Season to grow closer to Christ. We are watching our…
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