Daily Reflections
Today’s Gospel builds upon the miracle of Jesus feeding about 4,000 people with seven loaves and a few fish. At the end of this mission, Jesus and His disciples entered a boat and sailed to the other side of the river. Now, imagine being in this boat with Jesus, crossing…
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Who Was the Author of the Letter of James? Lokobos Mikros, more commonly known as James the Less, or James the Younger – an apostle and first bishop of Jerusalem wrote the Letter of James. He was also one of the brothers of the Lord, a fact that can be…
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We are on the last Sunday before the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent. The readings of today, for me, set us in the mood for one of the purposes that the season of Lent serves for us Christians: purifying our hearts from the leprosy of sin and lukewarmness.…
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What do miracles look like? Do they flash before us like a spectacle, visible to all who look? Or do they unfold in a more hidden and quiet manner? The miracles we encounter in the Gospels are most often acts of hidden transformation, evident only to those willing to see…
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Have a Blessed Day! [Readings: 1 kgs 11:29-32; 12:19; Mk 7:31-37]
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The Gospel (Mark 7, 28-30) addresses obtaining a favor not on the assurance of one’s right or the law but instead on insistence. Today’s Gospel scene and the dialogue between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman, whose daughter is possessed by an unclean spirit, have something spiritual and temporal to offer…
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But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, […] All these evils come from within and they defile. Our Lord Jesus Christ presents to us today the truth that moral righteousness or wickedness does not come from an external…
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The Church celebrates today the martyrdom of Paul Miki and his 25 companions, who were executed on February 5, 1597, in Nagasaki, Japan. Through this odious path, they concluded their mission for their Lord and could speak like St. Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the…
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When I was ordained a Deacon, I was assigned to one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark. In this parish, I worked together with priests who had a lot of zeal and a sincere love for the people. I learned a lot from them! One of these…
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Each Lent we make a point of listening to Jesus Christ Superstar. All the songs are memorable but one in particular stands out as it describes the crowds pressing upon Jesus with their cries for healing. See my eyes, I can hardly see. See me stand, I can hardly walk.…
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