NAME: Shania B.

Fundal YEAR AND SECTION: BSN-3B

GOSPEL READING (Feb. 5, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
Matthew 5:13-16
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The gospel reading for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Feb. 5, 2023) is Matthew 5:13–
16. As I read, understand, and reflect from the Gospel, I felt that God was talking to me since it
is a second person point of view and by this, it made me feel that someone is teaching me a
lesson that I need to decipher in order for me to dig deeper on the meaning behind each word that
were used. On the first word, God used one of the most common condiment as a metaphor and It
made me think how to connect “salt” to myself and life in general. One of the many uses of salt
is to add taste or enhance the flavors of a food, too much salt can be inedible and not enough can
also be bland. With that being said, a right amount of salt is required for a balance palate.
Another common usage of salt is to act as a preservative because of its chemical compounds. In
comparison to the gospel, we are described as the salt of the earth, we are bound to give this
world a flavor with our own unique ways that was given to us to utilize in a good way, overuse
of our capabilities as human beings can result to unpleasant outcome. We can also be a medium
to preserve the righteousness in the world and have a duty as children of God to maintain the
goodness, He wants us to conserve virtues and pass it through every generations. Back to the
Gospel, it stated the biggest what ifs in life that everyone can relate, what if the salt losses its
saltiness, what if I lose my talents and my ability to contribute to my society? will I be useless
and not worthy to live in this world? Will I be forgotten? As human beings, it is normal for us to
doubt our own potential and overthink our greatest what ifs in life. In the Gospel, it asked how
the salt can be salty again, in my own perception, the Lord is trying to give us another chance by
finding another way to discover ourselves, if we lose one ability, the Gospel is trying to convey a
message that there is more to it that we can give, we do not lose our abilities, we just simply
overlook life that belittles ourselves. Like the salt, it cannot lose its saltiness since it is a form of
sodium chloride that is made and tested to be stable, the reason why it is used to elongate the
spoilage of some foods and not the other way around. The first phrase of the Gospel can make us
realize two things, to use our abilities to bring out goodness or to overthink ourselves and
eventually be forgotten and discarded because we weren’t able to explore ourselves further.

Living in a world where darkness sometimes overpower light, the Gospel used another
metaphor which is much broader than the salt. We are described as a light, and light cannot be
appreciated if it is hidden or focused in one small area. One of the functions of the light is to
illuminate or give shine to who needs it. In the Gospel, it emphasizes that the light should not be
put into something that can cover its glow but rather, it should be on a stand where everyone can
admire and benefit from it. Continuing the Gospel, it is stated that everyone of us has its own
light and we should use it to pave the way and overthrow the darkness that is slowly
overwhelming us, we should not conceal or hide this light and to not be afraid to utilize, for
everyone to see and know the good deeds and good message we are trying to do and pursue. We
can a be light to someone else life by acting as a good role model and paving the way to
righteousness that can eventually lead to our Heavenly Father.

GOSPEL READING (Feb. 12, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
Matthew 5:17-37

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The gospel reading for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Feb. 12, 2023) is Matthew
5:17–37. As I ponder through the words of today’s Gospel, I came to realize that Jesus does not
impulsively changes the law that he is trying to explain to His disciples but rather, he tries to
fulfill it by elevating it to perfection that can somehow relate to us. As a follower, it is one of our
duties to reflect and review our thoughts and actions that can depict our character that should be
rooted from the teachings of the Bible. If we read between the lines of the Gospel, it is easy for
us to understand it if we heartedly reflect from it.

In verse 19, “Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and
teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and
teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” As human
beings, we are fortunate enough to be given a chance to live the life to the fullest extent with the
guidance of the Lord, through the commandments given in Mount Sinai, these lists of phrases are
the reasons that could led us to the pathway of light into the kingdom of heaven. If we
contemplate enough in the message that the commandments are trying to portray, it is actually
easy to do if we just focus on how it can help us in every aspect of our life to reach and
experience the kingdom of heaven in the right time. On the other hand, if choose to disobey the
commandments, it is right for them to be in the darkness of life for they were given a chance to
discern the right path but still chooses the wrong one, they should be the least deserving to enter
the kingdom of heaven and experience the goodness that one must deserve.

As the Gospel go on, it is pointed out that having an unwanted emotion from the heart
can be a reason for someone to commit a sin. Therefore, for a person to avoid doing wrong
decisions and actions, one must fully reflect by weighing the right between wrong and not
spontaneously act without proper discernment. One must control their emotion and not their
emotion control them. We are all sinners by nature but the good thing is, Jesus tries to save us
from this sin and sacrifice His life for us to be given a chance to renew our self. We were
forgiven by the mistakes we consciously or unconsciously partake, and by that, we must also be
merciful and forgive others because, the Lord Himself is trying to humble us by His teachings.
Through this Sunday Gospel, we must be reminded that the word of the Lord is our key to enter
the gate of Heaven, we must not read it through our mind but rather, contemplate it
wholeheartedly for it gives us more purpose to be with Him.

GOSPEL READING (Feb. 19, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
Matthew 5 38-48
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The gospel reading for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Feb. 19, 2023) is Matthew
5:38–48. The phrases mentioned in this Gospel are probably one of the easiest to understand but
hardest to do. In a world where differences are a rampant reason for violence, forgiveness
sometimes gets lost that misinterpretation becomes common to occur. People normally has point
of view on something or someone, it may be in a good or in a bad way, it can be considered as a
natural motive of a normal human being since we are the highest form of animals which gives us
the capabilities to think and decipher thoughts on our own but, this strong point might be cause
of disobeying one of God’s teaching which is “Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise
on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”

Hatred can be a root to a division of humankind. Through this Gospel, we are reminded
to not only love ourselves and those love who loves us back but also, love those who hate us and
those who are on the other side of our life. It is better to create a big circle of good relationship
than to collect enemies that can be a cause of commotion towards yourself and the people
around. To break the truth, it is actually really hard for someone to forgive, forget, and love
someone who at first is the reason of someone’s downfall but, if we try to contemplate
spiritually, we can distinguish that entertaining and adding more negative thoughts to our lives
can also have a big impact personally. It is a well-known feeling that if you hate someone and
has personal motives, we let it hang for a very long time on the dark side of our heart that it
forms a familiar feeling of loathing. As we reflect the message of the Gospel, we are constantly
reminded that the teachings of the Lord are always our guide to a right decision Hatred in every
aspect of life can be present if we will not dwell deeper on God’s side. God is Love and Love
should spread around the world in order to achieve everyone’s peace. Since we are aware of how
much grace we require and how much God is forgiving of us, this gospel ought to deepen our
love for him. While we continually rely on God's grace, we constantly desire and strive for
transformation. This is how Jesus describes the kingdom. If you hold up God's standard, strive to
meet that standard, and rest in the knowing that you have a Savior who will cover our mistakes
as we work to live for him, you can live a blessed life. Since we are God's children, we must
attempt to live as God would have wanted us. As for me, I make an effort to pray about and
reflect on everything. I try to put those incidents behind me and pray to God for strength to
forgive my enemies. If we put everything in prayer, everything will be peaceful in life.

GOSPEL READING (Feb. 26, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
Matthew 4: 1-11

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Feb. 26, 2023) is Matthew 4: 1-
11. This Gospel serves as reminder as the Holy Week is fast approaching. As human beings, we
are exposed to different kind of situations, it may be intentional or unintentional cases in a way
that, we are thrown different challenges in life that can test our perceptions and weigh our life
decisions in a right or bad way. As I try to understand the message that this Gospel wants to
portray, I realized that temptation was showed to Jesus in different ways. The first one is “Tell
these stones to become bread”, Despite having fasted for forty days and nights, Jesus refused to
give in to his need to eat. This demonstrates that he is more interested in the spiritual food
provided by God than in worldly possessions. The second one says “Throw yourself down”,
Jesus in this situation was challenged to abuse his authority. But it also required Jesus to
demonstrate his outmost sincerity of God's love for him. Jesus needed to address this issue ahead
of time since it would come up repeatedly as people questioned his legitimacy and identity. The
last challenge that is present in this Gospel is “Bow down and worship me”, Jesus' commitment
to God and his desire for political power were both put to the test by this temptation. Jesus,
however, demonstrated that he did not view a political figure as the His Lord, but rather one
thought about the kingdom of God.

Through the responses, decisions, and actions that Jesus showed in this Gospel, it is an
important reminder for us to be strong in handling temptations that will be present in our life.
Temptations are the work of evil and honestly, we cannot easily distinguish these types of
occurrence since sometimes, we are blinded with our emotions and biased decisions but,
reflecting the message of this Gospel is way for us to conclude that whenever impulses are
provoking us, we must seek guidance from the Lord by praying and contemplating with His
message. Happiness is our collective effort. Even though we don't have everything, we must try
to be joyful every day. We shouldn't wait days, months, or years to be joyful because tomorrow
might never arrive as it is today. All of us should practice good Catholic existence. In Matthew
4:1–11, we are reminded that we must evaluate ourselves throughout this Lenten season. For
salvation, we ought to turn back to God. When our neighbors need us, we must be there for them.
We must do everything in our power to purify and rejuvenate ourselves. Instead of allowing the
devil to govern us, we must learn to reject his requests. We should all take time to think about
ourselves over the next Lenten season. We must try to recall the events from the previous few
years that shaped who we are today. Living a life on Earth is not as simple as some people would
believe. Even though we all carry our own burdens and suffer, our main objective is to live each
day to the fullest. Although happiness may not be a constant gift for everyone, we should make
an effort to be happy when the opportunity arises.

GOSPEL READING (March 5, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
Matthew 17: 1-9

9th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time (March 5, 2023) is Matthew 17:
1-9. There come times in our life that we are filled with wrongdoings, decisions that were not
thoroughly deciphered and actions that are impulsively made. Majority of the people concludes
that human beings are designed imperfectly because, no one should possess perfections
therefore, it is common for a person to commit and collect mistakes. Personally, I observed that
asking for forgiveness is normally hard for people to do, maybe because sins are not usually
known within one’s self or repenting is just too much work for others. In this season of Lent, we
are given a chance to redeem ourselves as children of God by cleansing ourselves through
reflecting our sins and asking for forgiveness.

The gospel for today’s Sunday was honestly hard to understand first, it took me a lot of
reading before I relate my thoughts to it, it was all about change or conversion to something new,
the right word for it would be probably ‘transfiguration’. The transfiguration of Jesus and
realizing God's presence are the main themes of this gospel. The true demonstration of God's
sovereignty as the Son of God lies in this transformation. After praying on the mountain, Jesus
was changed. God recognized Jesus as His Son as He shined in pure white. This moment, as
Jesus dies on the cross, is the moment that the transfiguration is pointing us towards. As Jesus
dies on the cross, there is darkness, yet at the moment when Jesus dies, light breaks through: ‘…
and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour…’ (Luke 23:44). The
Transfiguration foreshadows the coming salvation brought about by Jesus' death and
resurrection. Jesus death was considered darkness that stumbles in the life of many but, through
His resurrection, the light became more abundant that we are given a change to a new way of
living. As a result, because Jesus risen from the dead three days later, light has really prevailed
over darkness and life over death. He is the actual light that has overcome over darkness, the
Lord of light, and the Jesus who was transfigured on the mountain is now a reality. He
encourages us to reach out to him, confess our sins and give him our brokenness in exchange for
his new life. Because He loves each of us and wants everyone to know His love, glory, and plan
for their life, we also are called, like Abraham in the first reading, to be a blessing to others and
to draw everyone to His life. People may feel lost, afraid, and alone in the dark. A beam of light
can give us more assurance and self-assurance while guiding us in the right direction. We
occasionally experience uncertainty in our spiritual life, especially during challenging times.
Jesus, the Light of the World, is our torch as Christians to help us feel secure and navigate the
journey. He pours light into our life and assures us that if we cling to him, we won't fall in the
shadows. During this Lenten season, we can also be that light for others, helping them find Jesus
and leading them through challenging moments with friends and family.

GOSPEL READING (March 12, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
John 4:5-42

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (March 12, 2023) is John 4:5-
42. In the month of Lent, we are yet again to be reminded as children of God to be subtle in our
commitments and actions. The gift this week is the gift of the Spirit that Jesus poured into the
hearts of us believers, as compared to the previous week when it was the gift of the Father's love
expressed in His Son by the story of death and resurrection.

The Gospel was all about the story of the Samaritan woman. Even after hearing this story
from the Bible countless times, people still have difficulty in understanding what it means the
reason why it is hard to reflect our lives to it. The story started when Jesus asks the Samaritan
woman for a drink, he breaks a social stigmatized, as he does in other gospels. The woman was
confused for He was talking to a mere casualty. If we contemplate in our today’s generation,
stigma or in simpler term, discrimination, becomes more rampant that it creates division in the
humanity of human race. In today’s Gospel, we are also influenced to be like Jesus wherein, He
doesn’t base His approach on the physical aspect of someone, He doesn’t create a line that can
branch out or separate a person from the society. Jesus calls on each and every one of us to show
one another love, regardless of our personal histories. knowing that we belong to the same flock
as God's children, we must also spread the message of salvation.

A phrase that struck me the most from this Gospel is when Jesus said to the woman,
"Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I
will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of
water gushing up to eternal life." From this phrase, it made me realize that everything that Jesus
gave us is significant part of life forever, we are fortunate enough that even we commit mistakes,
he still gives us chance to ask forgiveness and never forgets to give as abundant blessings. We
must remind ourselves during this Lenten season that we still have much to learn about God.
There is an important symbolism in that, just as Jesus revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman.
It suggests that Jesus will constantly make Himself known to us in order to let us know that He is
always within of us. We should rely on Him in difficult times because He will always make His
gifts known to us. We must make an effort to assess ourselves throughout Lent in order to be
deserving of the favors He will grant us. Let's work on discovering our genuine purpose in this
world. Experiencing the truth and love of Jesus shining on our past and our future, and then
having the courage and the resources to drop everything that isn't that good and go share what we
know as witnesses to his abundant grace gushing up to eternal life in us should be one of our
priority in living.

GOSPEL READING (March 19, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
John 9: 1-41

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 11 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (March 119, 2023) is John 9: 1-
41. The Gospel for today is all about the story of the blind man and Jesus. A man who was born
blind was healed by Jesus in John 9:1-41, according to this narrative in the Bible that is both
powerful and thought-provoking. There are many significant concepts and lessons that may be
taken from this verse because of its wide range of symbolism and meaning. Jesus and his
followers come across a man who was born blind at the beginning of the story. The man's
blindness is not a consequence of sin, but rather an opportunity for God's power to be visible,
Jesus responds when the disciples want to know if it was caused by the man's own sin or the sin
of his parents. Jesus then creates clay out of his saliva, smears it over the man's eyes, and spits on
the ground. The guy receives directions from him to go wash in the lake of Siloam, and after
doing so, he is granted sight for the very first moment in his life. Religious leaders at that time
accuse Jesus of violating the Sabbath by healing on that day, which causes controversy after
Jesus heals the blind man. The Pharisees eventually excommunicate the formerly blind man from
the community when he defends Jesus. 24 of the chapter's 41 verses, including the first and last,
make particular reference to blindness and sight. Four times, it is stated that after Jesus applied
mud to the blind man's eyes, he regained his sight. Jesus, the giver of sight and the very light of
the world in which true sight becomes possible, stands at the center of the story, before the cure
after it. The story's tone is also molding the lives of the people reading the content, so we are also
considering how the story represents our own lives today. Being a Christian is risky in some
places even today, and it is occasionally no longer desirable to be one in Western nations, where,
sadly, Christianity is often too moderate or too in line with the biases and objectives of those in
power that it presents a threat to anyone. We become visible and signify something different as
the bearings of Jesus' vine. If we are never in conflict with the powerful or the established
standard, it should cause us to think twice. Unlike his parents, the blind guy consistently
possesses the bravery to speak truth to power, to share what he knows about the immense grace
that has touched him, and to provide all of the additional details that he can. Ultimately, this is a
tale of grace, and the blind guy sums it up articulately for all of us when he says, "One thing I do
know, that though I was blind, now I see." Overall, John 9:1-41 serves as a potent reassurance of
the value of compassion toward others and the transformative power of faith, especially in the
face of opposition and criticism.
 GOSPEL READING (March 26, 2023)
JOURNAL - REFLECTION
John 11: 1-45

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 12 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (March 26, 2023) is John 11: 1-
45. The parable of Lazarus' resurrection in John 11:1-45 serves as a powerful symbol of God's
infinite power and unconditional love. In this verse, Jesus exhibits His extraordinary ability to
raise a man from the dead, a power greater than even death itself, demonstrating how deeply
grieved He was by the suffering of those He loved. This consideration digs even more into this
beautiful section and what it may teach us about believing in God's purpose and putting our faith
in Him even when things seem most hopeless. The Gospel reading of Lazarus' resurrection
serves as an affirmation of the supremacy of God over life and death. Jesus' anguish at Lazarus's
tomb reflect how much He cared for him and his family, despite knowing the miraculous act he
was about to perform. When someone we love passes away, it feels as though our own hearts
have been genuinely broken, and we begin to question the purpose of existence. For us, it feels
like life itself has ended. Because we feel so broken inside at present, no words can comfort us at
this point when we are overcome by sadness and sorrow. However, John also desires to awaken
our own faith when he describes the rising of Lazarus, making the resurrection a present-day
reality rather than something that happens in the distant future. People we recommend to God are
given life right away because everyone is truly alive in Him. ‘For He is the God of the living not
of the dead.’ This is the entirety of all those who have trust in Jesus. The simple and profound
truth is that everyone we love who passes away, everyone we regret, everyone for whom our
hearts have been shattered, and everyone for whom our lives have been torn apart, are, in fact,
Living. God has never abandoned them and will never do so. Lazarus is indeed alive, and Jesus
wants everyone in the situation to witness this and realize it.

Nonetheless, no matter what is going on, when we put our trust in the Lord, we can
discover the power to maintain hope even when things are their very lowest. Being in
relationship with Jesus involves suffering through death and sadness with him and realizing that
he can still be referred to as being alive despite death, dryness, and the closure of the door at the
gateway to the graveyard of our hopes. Nothing is ever so lifeless as to prevent him from being a
martyr for us and for himself. And in John, that life is more than just a dream for the future.
Life is abundant and has always been so. Jesus tells us to consider everything with faith. We
must remain close to him through these trying times and have faith that he is the grasp in the
shadows that will never let us go.
 GOSPEL READING (April 2, 2023)
JOURNAL - REFLECTION
Matthew 27: 11-54

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (April 2, 2023) is Matthew 27:
11-54. In reading this Gospel, it was easy to understand for it presents a narrative style of story,
it was all about Pontius Pilate. Jesus faced Pontius Pilate in the gospel as it appears to Matthew
27: 11-54. Jesus received questions by Pilate. You claim to be the Jewish King Jesus was
questioned by Pilate. Although Jesus knew what would happen, He still stood there with
heavenly grace and composure. Despite being fully aware of Jesus' innocence, Pilate went with
the majority vote. Why is Pilate acting this way? Pilate feared that losing his position of
authority and career would force him to forsake those in need. Despite being aware of his guilt,
he turned a blind eye and washed his hands instead. Despite having a choice, he decided against
doing the wrong one. Occasionally, like Pontius Pilate, we abandon our beliefs in favor of a
shameful pleasure. Even though we were perfectly aware that some things were wrong, we chose
to ignore them.

We should also note that the people who rejected Jesus in the narrative of Matthew
27:11–54. These were the same individuals who held palm branches in their hands to welcome
Jesus. While welcoming Jesus in their place, these people waved their palms, but then turned
their backs on him. Look how simple it was for them to reject Him and send Him to be crucified.
We learned that these people are also us from Matthew 27:11–54. Although we love Jesus, we
have frequently betrayed Him throughout our lives. Let's reflect our own lives this Holy Week to
see when and how we became like Pilate and everyone else. We should decipher our own
decisions and actions and turn to Jesus for strength and forgiveness. We should all think back to
Jesus' sufferings on the cross.

The Gospel narrative of Jesus' suffering and death continues to be crucial to our
comprehension of both God and Christ. The cross has evolved into our primary symbol. Jesus is
more to us than just a wonderful teacher. We also picture him as the crucified Christ who
sacrifices his life for all people. Additionally, how we view Christ has an impact on how we live
our own lives. Jesus Christ urges us to follow him by taking up the cross and putting our own
selfishness and self-interest to death so that we can serve the world by looking outward. Christ
has already accomplished everything that is required of us. Jesus is silent and in charge for most
of this fatal movement of kindness. The only person who does not respond out of either fear or
envy is him. God's will and his love for us decide Jesus' course. Jesus remains silent but is in
charge. He is Lord in his surrender to God's will and in the presence of his opponents' filthy
activities! He won't be persuaded into defending or preserving himself, so he dies in our place—
for people like us.

GOSPEL READING (April 9, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
John 20: 1-9

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (April 9, 2023) is John 20: 1-9.
Todays Gospel is all about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Today, we celebrate Eater
Sunday and we must be joyful in celebrating it. The message of the gospel in John 20:1–9
demonstrates how much God loves us and is prepared to provide His son as a sacrifice to save
us. The disciples were greatly shocked to learn that Jesus had risen from the dead in John 20:1–9.
This indicates that they were unaware of the significance of the resurrection as described in the
Bible. They were all unsure, and they needed to see it with their own eyes in order for them to
believe. Although Jesus had already explained this to His disciples, they did not fully understand
its significance. The passage in John 20:1–9 serves as a reminder of the profound salvation that
results from Jesus' sacrifice. Every year on Easter Sunday, an egg and its meaning are honored.
The egg represents birth, much as Jesus promised He would resurrect from the dead after three
days. Jesus suffered and died in order to fulfill the Scripture. He will then return to us in all of
His majesty. Every Easter Sunday that follows, we must never forget the hardships that Jesus
endured when nailed to the cross. He sacrificed everything to deliver us from our serious sins.
His love for us endures forever.

Let us rejoice and be glad in the day that the Lord has created. His promise that He would
resurrect from the grave has been fulfilled today. The risen Christ will never experience death
again. It is a period of uncontrolled joy after the agony of the previous few days. In today's
reading from John 20:1–9, it is mentioned that the two apostles appear to be lacking in biblical
comprehension. Jesus had promised them he would rise from the grave, and it actually did. The
reason Jesus instructed us to believe and have faith that we will also resurrect from the grave is
revealed in this revelation. We are followers of the resurrection and servants of the death
wherever we share love, fairness, reconciliation, faith, and support one another in being people
of hope. Every time we live out his way of life, Jesus is raised from the dead. We all express our
concern and care for the lives and problems of others in different ways, and we do this. Easter
prayer can include a request to serve as messengers of the resurrection as we consider the best
ways to assist the risen Lord. There are several ways in which the story still applies to our day.
First of all, it underlines the value of having faith and sticking to our principles despite
difficulties or circumstances that appear insurmountable. We all experience times in life when
we feel lost or unclear about the future, much like Mary Magdalene did when she arrived at the
tomb of Jesus. This message serves as a reminder that no matter how difficult the circumstances,
if we maintain our faith in God and remain committed to Him, our uncertainty will eventually be
replaced by joy as God demonstrates His kindness and pours benefits back into our lives.

GOSPEL READING (April 16, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
John 20: 19-31

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 13 th Sunday in Ordinary Time (April 16, 2023) is John 20: 19-
31. The gospel for today is all about forgiveness of sins, which is the greatest display of divine
mercy. The disciples who had rejected, betrayed, and abandoned their leader are now with us.
When Jesus arrived, he stood among them. They must have become more terrified when they
saw him; without a doubt, he was returning to exact punishment. Since then, Jesus has asked for
peace for His followers. It is evident that He wanted to show to His disciples how to establish
peace across the world in the gospel of John 20:19–31. One disciple is certain about how Jesus
revealed Himself to His disciples in John 20:19–31. Thomas refused to accept that Jesus had
actually risen from the grave. Thomas won't believe unless he actually sees Jesus' hands and the
nail holes in His hands. Then Jesus manifested to him, and he came to believe it. The gospel
according to John 20:19–31 is so broad that we should all be aware of its significance. Thomas'
actions demonstrated the importance of faith. There is no need to doubt anything if we have faith
in God, no matter what it is. We have faith, thus we are prepared to always act morally. Every
person should be reminded by the gospel of John 20:19–31 that God is always present so long as
we have faith. As a disciple, Thomas is hesitant a lot. He lacked much trust since he wanted to
confirm whether or not it is Jesus for himself. Our life will be at ease if you have a great deal of
faith in our self. We don't need to be concerned about where and when we ought to get our food.
Only the faith can give us the strength and courage we need to tackle every challenge in life.

Thomas serves as an example for each and every one of us in John 20:19–31. He has
typical human worries and uncertainties, just like everyone else. Jesus continuously encourages
us to trust and believe in Him. We will never be able to discover our own pleasure and purpose
in life as someone with doubts like Thomas. The positive things we perform each day are the
only thing that will make us deserving while we are residing here. Jesus must be given complete
control over our wills, our judgment, and our entire life. Faith and hope for the thirst of seeing
our Savior are discussed in this Gospel. Now, in this epidemic era when all problems appear
impossible to overcome, Jesus is the only pillar we have to hold on. No matter how difficult our
current circumstances may be, everything will be okay as long as you have Jesus. Let's try to
pause for a moment of peace and consider how strong our faith is right now. This epidemic and
other crisis make everyone else's problems worse but, with strong faith on God and at the same
time strengthening our reasons in living, we can belittle these problems, and make a bigger
motivation to continue living.
 GOSPEL READING (April 23, 2023)

JOURNAL - REFLECTION
Luke 24: 13-35

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 The gospel reading for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (April 23, 2023) is Luke 24: 13-
35. The Easter reflect in the Gospel of Luke (24:1–12) is immediately followed by the story of
"The Walk to Emmaus," which is the main topic of this reading. One of the "appearance stories"
following the resurrection is the Emmaus story (Luke 24:13–35), in which Jesus "appears" in a
physical form, although one that is resurrected. These personal stories are filled with
fundamental terms, including time and location specifics and eyewitness reports. The
resurrection is described in this Gospel as an improved encounter with the body and the body as
it is. We can use everything that Jesus did and said in the context of our wonderful reality-
sustaining, and endangered environment as environmentally friendly readers. Resurrection
occurs in bodies and is experienced by, through, and in bodies. The experiences also extend to
various types of life and substance in our environment, not only human bodies. We can use our
Emmaus trip to gain a clearer understanding of how we are intertwined with the cosmos and the
world. With words and deeds of gratitude, as well as in the straightforward but sacred ritual of
breaking and sharing bread in hospitality, we can allow our hearts to burn within us as we walk
with the Risen One and allow God to open our eyes. The Emmaus tale is a call to a greater faith:
to recognize and discern rather than just to see. We must open our eyes to what is in front of us
like Cleopas and his companion did. As environmentally conscious , this involves paying close
attention to the text and being present for everything that happens around us. It also requires
developing our comprehension so that we can recognize the connections that make up the Earth
community.

Our Lord promised His followers that even though He had to part ways with them, He
would not abandon them without support or comfort. He assured them that He would reach out
to them for companionship, direction, solace, and strength through the activity and ministry of
the Holy Spirit. Additionally, He promised that they would become fruitful disciples—men with
a mission and a purpose in life—by abiding in Him and experiencing His life. He also provided
them with thorough revelation of His death and resurrection, which were both necessary for the
fulfillment of these promises, along with these promises. However, following His passing, we
discover the disciples to be dejected, gloomy, afraid, perplexed, dispersed, defeated, and
retreating without any sense of direction or goal. They were men who clung to the Savior for
comfort and guidance in their hour of need. Christ's revelations also show us the reality of His
friendship and availability, and how those things still affect and benefit us even while He isn't
physically there. He also teaches us about our wants and tendencies as individuals. Here, He
demonstrates how important His fellowship is to our ability to comprehend the Scriptures, be
obedient to Him as His disciples, and cope with life's stresses.