Opinion

In today’s gospel, we find the Pharisees returning once again to Jesus in order to trip him up. Having failed in their previous two attempts, they make sure that this time they will succeed. And so, they send a scribe, an expert of the Law, to test Jesus about the Law. They clearly foresee in this encounter a heavily lop-sided mismatch."Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" the scribe asks Jesus.Considering that there are 613 precepts contained in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and each of them is held as equally important and necessary to obey, the question is carefully contrived to corner Jesus and expose him as either ignorant of the Law or disrespectful of its parts if he chooses one over another.Without hesitation, Jesus answers by sa...

We have to be clear about this very heartwarming truth of our faith. God is always willing to forgive us no matter how grave our sins are. He always offers forgiveness to us and it is all up to us to take that offer. We should never be afraid to go to him asking for forgiveness.Remember that scene of him hanging on the cross before he died. One of his last words was: “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23,34) Not only did he offer forgiveness to those who crucified him, who at the end of the day are actually all of us because we all sin and sin is the cause of his crucifixion. He also made the effort to find an excuse for his killers, for all of us. That’s what real love is, which is what God is.Would he still forgive us if our sins are really that big ...

Such is life as we go through different circumstances and situations, the twists and turns in life. And now that we are in this pandemic mode, we are talking about a new or next normal where many of the usual things we used to have and do, have changed or are not available anymore.But let’s never forget that it is quite impossible that we would find ourselves in some dead-end. A door may close, but to be sure, another one would actually open for us. If we believe in a provident God, we would know that such is the case.The challenge is for us to discover that new door. It actually would not be totally new, since what may appear to be new would share many things in common with the old one. So we should just learn how to transition to the new things as smoothly as possible, adapt...

The gospel this Sunday opens with the Pharisees and the Herodians plotting together on how to trap Jesus. Note that the Pharisees and the Herodians have traditionally been on opposite sides. Their quick alliance only shows how desperately they want to destroy Jesus and get rid of him.After humoring Jesus with flattery, they pose him the question, “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” The question is a perfect trap meant to put Jesus in a no-win situation. If he says yes, he will be accused of treason for legitimizing the Roman rule over Israel. If he says no, he will be guilty of instigating insubordination and rebellion.Jesus asks to be shown a coin for the census tax and inquires, “Whose image is on the coin?” “Caesar’s,” they answer. “Then, give to Caesar w...