Reflections Archive

There is a need to respond in a positive way to Jesus in order to participate fully in the new life he brings. This is illustrated in the gospel for this Sunday through a story about a wedding feast. The King invites many people. But many find excuses not to come....

Matthew 21:33–43, commonly known as the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, is a pivotal allegory delivered by Jesus in the Temple during Holy Week. Delivered directly to the chief priests and elders, the passage addresses covenant betrayal, rejection, and divine judgment....

The Parable of the Two Sons is directly addressed by the Lord Jesus to those who questioned his authority, the chief priests and elders. Rather than answering them directly, the Lord tells a short story about a father who asks his two sons to work in his vineyard. The...

As mentioned by the Lord Jesus in today's Gospel, a denarius was a fair, standard day's wage for an agricultural laborer during his time. Therefore, the laborers who worked all day long were paid justly. The generosity of the landowner of the vineyard for those who...

The dialogue between Jesus and Peter in Matthew 18:21-35 establishes divine mercy not as an exceptional concession, but as the foundational law of the Kingdom of God. When Peter offers to forgive seven times—a number already considered generous under rabbinic...

In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus provides a communal way of addressing conflict and reconciliation. This way of the Lord balances the dignity of the persons involved, accountability, and restoration. The process initiates privately to secure the offender's honor and...

At the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus already predicts His upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection in Jerusalem. He also reveals his identity as the Messiah who will endure the suffering, while redefining true discipleship. Isn’t it that this is the will of the...

During his seminary years, a seminarian always believed it was entirely up to him, through his own efforts, to seek and find the Lord in his life. To him, his studies and all formation classes in seminary were simply his ways of searching for God. There came a time,...

The encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28 is one of the most challenging and most beautiful stories in the Gospels. At first it sounds harsh. Jesus withdraws to the region of Tyre and Sidon, Gentile territory, and a woman cries out,...

Matthew 14:22–33 presents one of the most profound moments in the Gospel, revealing Jesus not only as Lord over creation but also as the One who strengthens faith amid life’s storms. After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sends His disciples ahead while He withdraws...

When we need something badly, we kneel down before God and ask Him to give us what we urgently need. Generous as He is, He always gives us our daily bread and He gives it enough for us to share it and be answers to the prayers of those in need. The Gospel for today...