Daughters of St Paul | Daily Gospel Reflections

 Gospel Mt 11:16-19 Jesus said to the crowds: "To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works." Learn from others , how to be wise... Reflections: Someone says, “If we like someone, they can do no wrong. If we don't like them, they can do no right.” The gospel of today, a continuation of yesterday’s gospel, tells us that although there are many who believe in John and in Jesus, there are many more who reject them and criticise, as Jesus says, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came ea...

 Gospel Mt 11:11-15 Jesus said to the crowds: "Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear." Reflections: On the second Sunday of Advent, we stressed on the humility of John the Baptist which really is the virtue that made him great. Today, Jesus says that “the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”. What does Jesus want us to understand by this? Jesus was just giving an example of what real greatness is. Real greatness is attaining eternal life in heaven through the merits of his suffering death and resurrection. Therefore our focus and our ultimate aim should be ...

 Gospel Mt 11:28-30 Jesus said to the crowds: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." Reflections: Except perhaps the little babies who are not yet aware of real things in life, we have all had a share of unpleasant experiences in life. Some bearable, some, overwhelming. Jesus having come to earth, sharing our humanity and all that it entails, knows and understands exactly what we go through. Therefore he invites, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest . . . for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” What a comforting invitation! But how can this “yoke is easy” and “burden light” be true? It must be possible, because even the prophecy we read in the first reading says that the Lord gives power to the faint, and strengthens the pow...

 Gospel Mt 18:12-14  God seeks us... (prayer services)  What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep,  and one of them has gone astray,  does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains  and go in search of the one that went astray?  And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it  more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.  So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven  that one of these little ones should perish. Reflections:  Does it not seem unfair that the shepherd rejoices more over the one lost sheep than over the ninety-nine? But it’s a common human experience that when we lose something, our attention is on the thing that is lost, for then, we know its value. However, through the gospel, Jesus wants us to realise that we are precious, that in spite of our sins and waywardness, God will not stop loving us. He knows that as long as we are far from him we will live miserable lives. He will k...

 Gospel Lk 5:17-26 One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "As for you, your sins are forgiven." Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?" Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, "What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth...

 Gospel Mk 1:1-8 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Reflections: One of our human tendencies is to desire to be someone important, to be recognised and ackn...

 Gospel Mt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8 Ways to improve your life... Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, "Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." Reflections:  ...