WHEN Christ told the crowd that their righteousness should surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees if they want to enter the kingdom of heaven, (cfr. Mt 5,17-37) he is actually telling us that we should be wary of our tendency to make and observe...
“HE has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mk 7,37) We may not be able to make the deaf hear and the mute speak, but we should try our best that we can also gain the same reputation as...
WE should not be surprised by this phenomenon. Rather, we should welcome such eventuality, for it can only produce a greater good in us. We are reminded of this fact of life in that gospel episode where a Syrophoenician woman begged Christ to drive the...
HOW important to really set our heart right! And that’s because the heart in the end is where the true condition of our life can be found. Are we good or not so good? Are we properly focused or are we already going astray? These...
“YOU nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” (Mk 7,13) This is a serious accusation Christ made against the Pharisees who always found fault in Christ and in his disciples for not...
THIS is, of course, a common phenomenon. When we do good, we will attract more customers and favor-seekers. When we give some favors to some people, there is always a tendency that more people will come begging for the same favors. We need to be...
WHEN Christ told his disciples to be the salt and light of the earth (cfr. Mt 5,13-16), we too should feel addressed by such divine command and make ourselves good influencers in a world that is increasingly wracked by confusion and error despite the apparent...
THAT very inhuman martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, beheaded just as a reward to a dancing girl, (cfr. Mk 6,14-29) clearly tells us that martyrdom caused by a most crazy reason is a possibility in our life. We should be ready to suffer and...
FEBRUARY 2 is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. It commemorates that time when Mary and Joseph simply followed the law of the time to present the first-born to God for his consecration. (cfr. Lk 2,22-32) There was actually no need for them to...
“A PROPHET is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” (Mk 6,4) Famous words of Christ that tell us that we should be wary of our tendency to take the things of God for...