Daily Catholic Reflection: Sunday, April 10, 2022, Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Year C

Procession Gospel: Lk 19:28-40

Reading I: Isaiah 50: 4-7

Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

Reading II: Philippians 2: 6-11

Gospel: Lk 22:14—23:56               Full Reading

 Saint Catharine of Bologna

Jesus The Abandoned and crucified Man

The entrance Gospel above shows Jesus asking for a colt and entering into Jerusalem. What a solemn welcome, what a hail, it was so marvelous from the crowd. It was just four short days before He would be arrested, He was received with great joy.  As He entered, riding a donkey, the crowds spread their cloaks, strewed palm branches before Him and cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest” (Mt. 21:9).  Jesus was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He was given a Kingly welcome.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Saturday, April 9, 2022, Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Year C

Ezekiel 37:21-28,

PSALM: Jeremiah 31: 10.11-12abcd. 13,

John 11:45-57                                        Full Readings

Saint Casilda

Jesus died to make us one people: Christians

Brethren, for the last few weeks of lent, the readings, especially the gospels, have presented to us a list of accusations to why the Jews killed Jesus. These accusations are very important for growth in our Christian life because, as Christians (followers of Christ) have to follow his footsteps and what happened to him can also happen to us. Knowing this makes us strong and courageous to face all the challenges involved in following Christ, knowing that we shall conquer as Jesus himself did. As far as this point, Jesus was killed due to the following accusations: breaking the rule of Sabbath by performing miracles and winning many people to him, going against the customs of the Jews and challenging their different political and authoritative systems, claiming that his power of doing miracles is from God, claiming to be the Son of God, and also to be equal with God, and the fear of the Jews that Romans would destroy their nation because of following Jesus. We shall hear others in the passion narratives of holy Week like claiming to be the king of Jews, breaking down the temple and rebuilding in three days and others. All these made the hostility of the Jews grow wild until they gained to courage and crucified Jesus.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Friday, April 8, 2022, Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Year C

Jeremiah 20:10-13,

Psalm 18:1-3a. 2bc-3.4-5.6,

John 10:31-42                               Full Readings

Saint Julie Billiart

 God is with us till the end.

As we draw closer to Holy Week, and exactly one week to Good Friday, we continue to see the growing hatred toward Jesus.  Just as we saw in yesterday’s reflection, this week's readings point out the most outstanding accusation which was laid upon Jesus, that is, calling himself Son of God, but this accusation, to Jesus, makes no sense, he continued his mission despite the fore knowledge of what would happen to him.  To hate Jesus and to desire to stone Him to death is an act of the greatest irrationality. But this is what happened.  Little by little, those who were against Jesus grew in boldness until that ultimate day came when He laid down His life for us and willingly embraced His death. He fell into their hands when appointed time had come but God was with him till the end.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Thursday, April 7, 2022, Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Year C

Genesis 17:3-9

Psalm 105:4-5.6-7.8-9,

John 8:51-59 Full Readings

Saint John Baptist de La Salle

Whoever Keeps My Word Will Never See Death.

Brethren today's readings point us to the Graces involved in heeding to the word of God, to the word that Jesus brings to us. In the first Reading, Abraham was made the father of a multitude of nations because he heed to the word of God and followed whatever was instructed to him by God. However, he didn't not only heed to God's word but also had unwavering faith in God; that's why he is the father of faith. Thus, from Abraham, we see that whoever keeps the word of God and believes in him, will never taste death but will reign forever with God.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Year C

Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95

Psalm: Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

Jn 8:31-42                  Full Readings

Saint Crescentia Hoess

Everyone Who Commits Sin is a Slave

Brethren, in a world where freedom is the held with high esteem, and where a view of truth and freedom has been distorted as the ability to choose whatever we deem as good, or good for us, from among a limitless array of options, we can easily be tempted to act as the Jews in today's Gospel, who think that they are very free since they are no longer under exile. They forget that spiritually they indeed slaves Because of sin, because Jesus tells us today that whoever sins is a slave of sin. If we are stuck in our sins, we are not free but slaves of sin and the only way to be free is to accept the truth, What is this truth? It is Jesus Christ and the truth which will set us free. As Bishop Robert Barron says, freedom is “not so much liberty of choice, but rather the disciplining of desire so as to make the achievement of the good first possible and then effortless.”

Daily Catholic Reflection: Tuesday April 5, 2022, Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Year C

Nm 21:4-9

Psalm 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21

Jn 8:21-30                     Full Readings

Saint Vincent Ferrer

Don't Die in Your Sins

"For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” said Jesus to the Pharisees who found it hard to believe in Jesus. Jesus warned his opponents that if they continued to disobey God's word and to reject him as Lord and Savior, they would shut themselves off from God and die in their sins. Jesus' words echoed the prophetic warning given to Ezekiel that people would die in their sins if they did not turn to God and ask for his mercy and pardon (see Ezekiel 3:18 and 18:18). In every age God warns his people to heed his word before the time is too late to seek his mercy and forgiveness. The same warning is given to us each and every day when we read the scriptures, when we go to Church, when we listen to sermons or reflections like this and in our conscience too. God gives us time to turn to him and to receive his mercy and pardon, but that time is right now. Christ taught the stubborn Pharisees that remaining “of this world,” refusing to believe in the Christ or the Father who sent him (that is choosing to remain in our sins) carries a death sentence. Do you and I want to die in our sins?

Daily catholic Reflection: April 04, 2022, Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Year C

Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62

Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

Jn 8:12-20                                   Full Readings

Saint Isidore of Seville

God Will Fight For You

Brethren, when accusations are brought against you, how do you respond and where do you turn for help? The story in today's first reading about the lustful elders, Daniel and the innocent Susanna can help us answer this question. God in his own Wisdom, gives right judgments to each and everyone either by himself or through the ones he has chosen to minister to his people. This is the theme of today’s reflection: Don't fear, you who trust in the Lord, for God in his own Wisdom will fight for you. Wisdom is one of the most precious gifts God will ever give a human person, we Remember the great king of Israel, Solomon just asked for wisdom and all things came to him. God does not just have wisdom but instead, himself is Wisdom, therefore if God gives us Wisdom, he has given us himself. That's why the psalm states, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. God's Wisdom does wonders and inspires everyone.