Reflection Simbang Gabi (Dec 16, 2020) : THE MODERN PROPHETS John 5:33-36 The fifth chapter of the Gospel of John starts with Jesus healing a man, sick for thirty-eight years, on a Sabbath day. Seeing the indignation of the Pharisees towards Him, Jesus said, “My Father is always working, and I too must work.”…
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Immaculate Conception refers to Mary as free from any stain of sin from the moment of being conceived in her mother’s womb. Therefore, throughout her existence she is untouched by sin. Why is this necessary? The Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation said that the Baby to be conceived by Mary was the “Son of the…
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Is 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; Jn1:6-8, 19-28. Feeling oppressed by the Roman occupation, the Jews of Jesus’ time were anxious to know if the Messiah had already come. Seeing John the Baptist preaching and baptizing they immediately wanted to verify if indeed he was the Messiah or not. It gave John the Baptist a…
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The first reading from Isaiah opens with: “Comfort ye my people…speak tenderly to Jerusalem…Her guilt is expiated.” At that time Israel was in exile in Babylon because of her sin of idolatry. She had suffered enough because of her sins and now the Lord wanted to console her. A voice would now cry out in…
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Advent means “coming”. Jesus has come in history 2000 years ago. He has come to each one of us at our baptism to make us adopted children of our heavenly Father. He comes to each one of us now when we receive him worthily in Holy Communion. He will come for each one of us…
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Jesus is King because he is Son of God, because he is Creator: “through him all things were made’ (Jn1:3). In the Book of Psalms, God is King because he rules over the whole of creation. At the Annunciation the angel Gabriel said to Mary: “The Lord God will give him the throne of David…
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Prv. 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; 1 Thes. 5:1-6; Mt. 25:14-30 Next Sunday will be the last Sunday of Ordinary Time in our Liturgical Year when we celebrate the feast of Christ the King and we call to mind the Second Coming of the Lord at the end of time to judge the living and the dead.…
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Wis. 6:12-16; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Mt. 25: 1-13. We are now on the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time; two Sundays from now we will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, the Lord as he comes at the end of time. Our second reading today explicitly speaks of the Second Coming of the Lord. St.…
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The Scribes were the people who knew how to read and write Hebrew. They copied the scrolls of the Bible and were the experts in the Mosaic Law. Since most of the people did not know how to read or write, the Scribes explained the Law to them and acted as lawyers. Jesus, therefore, recognized…
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Ex. 22:20-26; 1 Thes 1:5c-10; Mt. 22:34-40. The verb “love” does not appear in the Torah until Dt. 6:5 in the great “Shema”: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Therefore, you shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your…
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