Reflections

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time September 9, 2018 | Mk. 7: 31-37 Reflection: ‘Ephphata,’ ‘Be opened!’ How beautiful it is to hear from the Lord, when our ears are deaf from the cries of the people around us, and we are mute to speak out for justice. ‘Be opened,’ words that can turn our minds…

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time September 2, 2018 | MK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Reflection: Jesus in our Gospel this Sunday invites us to see beyond our established human law and to focus on what is essential, the Divine law that God has established in our hearts. We can be so particular with the external things, of…

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Jn. 6:60-69 | August 26, 2018 Oftentimes, when things seem to be hard to understand and our minds cannot comprehend the meaning of the things, events, and people around us we can easily turn our backs and go back to our former lives. This is so in our spiritual life.…

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jn. 6:51-58 | August 19, 2018   The readings this Sunday invite us to reflect on God’s invitation to communion. This communion is made in a family setting where everyone is to share at one table. This opens for us that God planned since the beginning to build a familial…

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jn. 6: 41-51 | August 12, 2018   Reflection: When hunger and fatigue comes to us, whether physically or spiritually, our immediate reaction is to give up. This is what the Prophet Elijah expressed in our 1st Reading. But God does not give up on us. He gives what is…

Let me tell you this story: Near Tokyo lived a great Samurai, who decided to teach Zen Buddhism to young people. One afternoon, a warrior – known for his complete lack of ethics – arrived there. The young and impatient warrior had never lost a fight. Hearing of the Samurai’s reputation, he had come to…

French author Victor Hugo has a short story titled, “93.” In the midst of this tale a ship at sea is caught in a terrific storm. Buffeted by the waves, the boat rocks to and fro, when suddenly the crew hears an awesome crashing sound below deck. They know what it is. A cannon they…

Let me tell you a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with…

The great spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen, wrote a story describing the truth that there is a limit to what we can do by means of our natural abilities, but there is no limit to what God can do in and through us if we trust him and surrender ourselves to his will. The story: Once…