Alas, I know of a few men and women who turned bitter, disenchanted, depressed and unable to trust another human being for the rest of their life because their love was not reciprocated. As we clearly see in the Book of Isaiah (5:1-7) and the Gospel...
The parable given us for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time— stings. It is very brief, to the point and, ouch! It stings because it is aimed at most of us, “the insiders.” I mean, it is directed at those who have available all the tools, the...
Here is a sobering fact: if God were to treat us with justice, we would all be wiped out, erased off the face of the earth in an instant. If you, Lord, mark iniquities, Lord who can stand? (Psalm 130) Today we are all invited to rejoice that...
The phrase that comes to my mind reflecting on the Gospel passage from Matthew (18:21-35) is the one immortalized in the book and film The Godfather: “An offer that cannot be refused.” Yes, when it comes to forgiving or unwillingness to...
Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18) What is quite intriguing is the fact that Jesus gives to each one of you, lay people, the authority...
I urge you, brothers, and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1) Hmmm. This is unusual. Why not our souls? Why not our hearts? First, we should try to divest ourselves of our Western mentality...
The first message we glean from our first reading (Isaiah 22:19-23) and Gospel passage (Matthew 16:13-20) on this 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time is about solidity. It is conveyed by the image of a peg holding things together: “I will fix him like a...
To make some sense of the troubling gospel passage (Matthew 15: 21-28) given us for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, let me submit to you a probable scenario. It is necessary lest we certainly find Jesus’ conduct and words to that Canaanite woman...