TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME August 21, Saturday Ruth had adopted the ways of her deceased Jewish husband. Now, she is adopted into God’s people. The Lord abhors duplicity and hypocrisy, particularly in religious leaders. The scribes had rendered a real service by becoming the teachers of Israel during the exile, when the priesthood […]
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Reflection: Matthew 23: 1-12 Today’s Gospel is a direct gibe at all those who do a lot to “blah, blah, blah” with the Word of God but then forget to put into practice what they preach. Jesus harshly criticizes scribes and Pharisees – He was harsh on those who used God and religion for their […]
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The Evangelist John, in his writing, dedicates special attention to the passion narrative. We must not even call it by that name because John does not emphasize the aspect of the passion as much as the glory. The hour has come; it is the moment when the Father glorifies the Son, and therefore the […]
TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME August 20, Friday Against the rather narrow nationalism of Judges and Ezra-Nehemiah the small book of Ruth gives a romantic, idyllic example in Ruth that even non-Jews can become integrated into the Jewish people. Ruth figures even in the genealogy of Jesus. At the Last Supper Jesus said: “At […]
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Reflection: Matthew 22: 34-40 The question on the greatest commandment – was also a tricky one. For the Jews, the law of Sabbath and its related prescriptions were very important. Perhaps this was the intention of Matthew to set the priorities right in his community, which was mostly composed of Jewish Christians. The Judaisers were […]
TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME August 19, Thursday The first reading reflects the primitive conditions and the moral underdevelopment of the period of the Judges. Jephthah, a man of good will and a dedicated servant of Yahweh, lacks the moral discernment to distinguish between the binding force of an imprudent vow and respect for […]
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Reflection: Matthew 22:1-14 The parable speaks to us of the Kingdom of God as a wedding feast. But the Gospel warns us: the invitation can be rejected. Many of the guests said no, because they were taken over by their personal interests. The guests, in fact, did not think that the wedding was sad or […]
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Reflection: Matthew 20: 1-16 The parable of the day labourers in the vineyard explains two aspects of the Kingdom of God: the first is that God wants to call everyone to work for his Kingdom; the second, he wants to give everyone the same reward, that is eternal life. God calls everyone and calls always, […]
TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME August 18, Wednesday The first reading gives us a first attempt to establish a kingdom to give more stability to Israel than the system of the Judges, but the would-be king is rejected with an allegory that ridicules him. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard tells us, contrary […]
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TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B Introduction The results of histological examination, the response of an ultrasound, the results of amniocentesis, and a doctor’s diagnosis can disrupt a person’s life. They can disrupt the plans and dreams, facing dramatic choices between the wisdom of this world and that of Christ. Making a […]