Efren Tomas

The Pharisees sent two of their disciples to entrap Jesus with a question, “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”

A wedding feast in Palestine during the time of Jesus was a big celebration involving almost the whole village.

The most intense and distressing pain that one experiences is to be rejected. It is like a sword of sorrow, for it pierces our heart and leaves us deeply wounded.

We see at times in life a gap between belief and practice. Those who proclaim faith in Jesus as savior or praise him loudly in rallies are not always reliable in following his teaching on justice, mercy, forgiveness and charity.

The Gospel speaks of a manager entrusted by his master to care for his property. At first glance, we could be puzzled upon reading the parable. It

Peter’s profession of Jesus as “Christ, the Son of the Living God” that we reflected upon last week, was an occasion for Jesus’ intimate circle to know who He really was.

Jesus asked… “But you, who do you say I am?”

In the gospel we find Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. This was a pagan territory. It was a place Scribes and Pharisees would not enter

Jesus sends his disciples away in the boat while He goes by himself alone to pray. They were out on the open, and the boat was being tossed by the waves because the wind was against it.

People were searching for Jesus on foot when He withdrew from the crowd. When Jesus saw the crowd, He was moved with pity and responded to their needs.