THAT gospel episode about Christ commanding Peter to “go to the deep and lower down your nets for a catch” (Lk 5,4) reminds us, among other things, that we should be bold and aggressive in our Christian life, stretching ourselves to the limits to do...
THAT’S what we can gather from the story of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. (cfr. Mk 6,14-29) What an absurd turn of events it was! That martyrdom by beheading was simply triggered by King Herod not wanting to lose his face before some...
THIS is, of course, no joke, no easy task at all. But we just have to do it because Christ commands us to do so. What he told his apostles, sending them in pairs and giving them special powers, can and should also be addressed...
THAT gospel episode about Christ’s townspeople finding it hard to believe that one of their own could speak the way Christ did (cfr. Mk 6,1-6) reminds us of the danger of overfamiliarity and self-satisfaction that would prevent us from recognizing the real Christ and the...
THE secret, of course, is to go to Christ. That’s the main message of the readings of Tuesday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time. In the first reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, we are told: “Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of...
THIS should be no surprise to us. With the way things are now—new technologies offering more temptations than real advantages, and people spiritually and morally impoverished—what can we expect? That’s why requests for exorcism and deliverance have dramatically increased these days, not to mention the...
FEBRUARY 2 is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which is 40 days after his birth. Again, the number 40 appears in this occasion. In the Bible, this number appears 158 times and lends itself to a number of meanings, from a period...
WITH Christ comparing the Kingdom of God with a seed that is planted and that needs to be taken care of until it grows and bears fruit, (cfr. Mk 4,26-34) we are clearly reminded that this whole business of sanctification, which is how we start...
WHEN Christ said that a lamp is not placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, but rather on a lampstand, (cfr. Mk 4,21) we are clearly made to understand that if we are to be true followers of Christ we should faithfully and...
THAT gospel parable about the sower and seed (cfr. Mk 4,1-20) somehow reminds us that we need to be most articulate and eloquent regarding our duty to proclaim in all places and to all kinds of people—from the most simple to the most sophisticated and...