Grassroots Empowerment

The story of Elisha and the couple from Shunem (2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a), together with Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:37-42), provides context for my reflection with you this weekend. Although the readings appear to emphasize acts of kindness toward the messengers of the Gospel, such as prophets, priests, and religious men and women, […]

On this weekend of the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, I find myself reflecting on what gives us, as Christians, confidence in the face of adversity. What sustains our courage amid persistent challenges? One answer emerges clearly from today’s Gospel, clarifying that just as Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12), we

In the past few weeks, I have not shared my reflections with you because I have focused on publishing my study with ProQuest. In those moments, I paused several times to appreciate how special I am in God’s eyes. This experience is not merely a feeling; it is real, and I have encountered the truth

The Book of Psalms (47:6) echoes the spirit of today’s celebration of the Ascension: “God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.” This proclamation captures the distinctive character of Jesus’ Ascension as he is lifted to the highest heavens. Unlike in many parts of the world, especially in

At times, perhaps shaped in part by insights from Feminist Theology, I find it difficult to confine God strictly within human gender categories. If you have seen The Shack, a movie that premiered around 2017, you may recognize a similar spiritual intuition, suggesting that the attempt to encounter God goes beyond limited human constructs. Today,

I have often reflected on how the Church has endured across centuries, growing in number and witness despite persecution, internal tensions, and cultural shifts. One compelling answer, brought into sharper focus in recent years through Pope Francis’ emphasis on synodality, is that the Church, at her core, is a listening Church. The phrase synodal Church,

I center my reflection today on the moment when John departs for Jerusalem, leaving Paul and his companions to continue their missionary journey into different parts of Asia (Acts 13:13-25). Amid the broader movement of the passage, that brief note of departure stands out to me on several levels. It reflects a familiar turning point

We stand once again on the threshold of the Easter celebration, and today is Good Friday. Earlier in the week, a colleague shared a poster on treachery and betrayal, pointing to Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus centuries ago. In reflecting on that poster, the message was clear about betrayal not being a relic of the

Several highlights stood out to me during the Holy Thursday Mass with Pope Leo XIV (4/2/2026). First, he continues to challenge many entrenched practices in our Christian lives that do not foster genuine fraternal harmony. He has spoken of true love as something not to be guarded or controlled, but as something to be open

My central theme for the week is the ministry of Jesus Christ as the one who lifts us from death to life. As the week unfolds, we see this divine pattern reflected in the lives of many, and today it appears in God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:3-9). In that covenant, God establishes a relationship

At the beginning of this weekend’s first reading (Ezekiel 37:12-14), one line stood out and shaped the theme of this reflection: from death to life. That line emerges from God’s promise to open our graves and raise us (Ezekiel 37:12). Though originally spoken as a message of restoration and renewal for the exiled people of

In today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of John (John 5:17-30), Jesus speaks words that echo the mystery of creation itself. He responds to the Jews by saying, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” In this statement, Jesus reveals that God’s creative activity did not end with the first