Gospel: Jn 4:43–54
When the two days were over, Jesus left for Galilee. Jesus himself said that no prophet is recognized in his own country. Yet the
Galileans welcomed him when he arrived, because of all the things which he had done in Jerusalem during the Festival, and which
they had seen. For they, too, had gone to the feast. Jesus went back to Cana of Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. At

Gospel: John 3:14-21
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Yes, God so loved
the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn
the world; instead, through him the world is to be saved. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned. He who does not believe is already condemned, because

Gospel: Lk 18:9-14
Jesus told another parable to some people, fully convinced of their own righteousness, who looked down on
others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by
himself, and said, ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people, grasping, crooked, adulterous, or even like this tax

Gospel: Mk 12:28-34
A teacher of the Law had been listening
to this discussion and admired how Jesus
answered them. So he came up and asked
him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”
Jesus answered, “The first is: Hear, Israel! The
Lord, our God, is One Lord; and you shall love
the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with
all your soul, with all your mind and with all
your strength. And after this comes a second
commandment: You shall love your neighbor
as yourself. There is no commandment
greater than these two.”
The teacher of the Law said to him, “Well
spoken, Master; you are right when you say
that he is one, and there is no other besides
him. To love him with all our heart, with all
our understanding and with all our strength,
and to love our neighbor as ourselves is
more important than any burnt offering or
sacrifice.”
Jesus approved this answer and said, “You
are not far from the kingdom of God.” And
after that, no one dared to ask him any more
questions.

Reflection:

There is no question that the commandment to worship and honor God is
the foremost command of all. The uniqueness of Jesus’ answer to the question of the
teacher of the Law is that, He linked worship of God to love of God. It is not borne
out of fear. It is powered by the person’s love to his or her creator who loves him
or her in return. Love begets love. But this is not a private and exclusive love between
creator and creature. This love must radiate to the love of neighbor on the
part of the creature. But God loves not only us but our fellow human beings
as well. If we love God, we love those whom God loves. So neighbor is not spatial
neighbors but the whole of humanity that is loved by God.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021

Gospel: Lk 11:14-23
One day Jesus was driving out a demon, which was mute. When the demon had been driven out, the mute person could
speak, and the people were amazed. Yet some of them said, “He drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the chief of the
demons.” Others wanted to put him to the test, by asking him for a heavenly sign. But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to

Gospel: Mt 5:17-19
Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to annul them but to fulfill them. I tell you
this: as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the Law will change until all is fulfilled.
So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be the

Gospel: Mt 18:21-35*
Then Peter asked him, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No,
not seven times, but seventy-seven times. This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven: A king decided to settle accounts with
his servants. Among the first of them was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. (...)The servant threw himself at the feet of the
king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’ The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even cancelled

Gospel: Lk 4:24-30
Jesus added, “No prophet is honored in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of
Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. Yet Elijah
was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time

Gospel: Jn 2:13–25 (or Jn 4:5-42)
As the Passover of the Jews was at hand, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple court he found merchants selling oxen, sheep and doves, and moneychangers
seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple court, together with the oxen and sheep. He knocked over the tables of the
money-changers, scattering the coins, and ordered the people selling doves, “Take all this away, and stop making a marketplace of my Father’s house!” His disciples recalled
the words of Scripture: Zeal for your House devours me like fire. The Jews then questioned Jesus, “Where are the miraculous signs which give you the right to do
this?” And Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then replied, “The building of this temple has already taken forty-six years,
and will you raise it up in three days?” Actually, Jesus was referring to the temple of his body. Only when he had risen from the dead did his disciples remember these
words; then they believed both the Scripture and the words Jesus had spoken. Jesus stayed in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, and many believed in his name,
when they saw the miraculous signs he performed. But Jesus did not trust himself to them, because he knew all of them. He had no need of evidence about anyone,
for he himself knew what there was in each one.

Lectio Divina:

READ: Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. He got angry seeing the vicinity of
the Temple being turned into a commercial space. He drove out the merchants and money
lenders. Jesus’ action is later understood by His disciples in the light of His Resurrection.

REFLECT: Jesus got angry at the robust commerce that sprang around the Temple of
Jerusalem. After all, at any given day, more so during the Sabbath, the Temple attracts a
lot of faithful. Because of this, the Temple authorities made use of the Courts of Gentile as
a commercial space. The Temple must have earned huge sums of money for its rent. More
so, some enterprising priests who inspect the offered animals brought by the people have
reasons to reject the offering because of imagined blemish. The people in turn will be forced
to buy from animal sellers who charges exorbitant fees for their goods. These sellers will
forward the priests’ share of the cost for facilitating the sale afterwards. This is not a secret.
Everybody knows but nobody has the strength to confront the system. That is, until Jesus
comes along. He criticized the commerce arising from the devotion of people. He reminds
everyone that the Temple is a house of prayer. Because of this, He placed Himself in the
line of danger. He now confronts the religious authorities who tolerated this happening
in the Temple itself.

RESPOND: When we are in sacred places, let us put premium to the encounter of God and
set aside our mentality to do commerce. Even our prayers must be devoid of anything that
smacks of making transaction with God. We don’t have to do it. God knows what we need.
So no coercion of God to do something for the promised number of novenas we will make,
the candles we will light, and the masses or donations we will offer as long as He answers
our petition. We don’t have to trade anything to receive God’s grace.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021

Gospel: Lk 15:1-3, 11-32*
(...) Jesus continued, “There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the estate.’ So
the father divided his property between them Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off
for a distant land, where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a
severe famine broke out in that land. (...) Finally coming to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food
to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father(...) He was still a long way off, when his
father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his
neck and kissed him. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But the father turned to his servants: ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Bring out the finest robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals
on his feet! Take the fattened calf and kill it! We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead, and has come back
to life; he was lost, and is found!’(...)

Reflection:

In terms of freedom, the father in the story is the freest. His love for his two
sons enabled him to navigate difficult situations without loss of dignity. His youngest
son is imprisoned in a desire to explore the world on his own. To decide and chart his destiny far
from the guidance and loving intervention of his father. Thus he did what is considered
disrespectful at that time. He asked for his inheritance while his father is alive. Then
he squandered it in resolute living and comes back to his senses after all was lost and
he is in dire need. Meantime the eldest is imprisoned in his desire to earn the love of
his father. He stayed behind seemingly the dutiful son. But his heart is wounded. And so
the youngest son comes back to freedom when he returned to his loving father. The eldest was
liberated from his idea that he is only loved if he performs when his father told him that all his
father has is his to dispose. He need not ask permission. The love of the father that remained
steady despite the rudeness of his youngest, and the outburst of his eldest saves them all.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021