A Scholar of the Law asked Jesus which commandment is the greatest. Jesus answered using two Old Testament texts: You shall love the Lord your God. (Dt. 6:5), You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Lev. 19:18) Yes! The two greatest commandments are the Love of God and love of neighbor.

Recently, I was on a Pilgrimage to Italy and had the chance to visit San Giovanni Rotondo. That place in South Italy is famous because of St. Padre Pio, an Italian Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic. Call it a coincidence or a blessing, but we arrived there on the evening of the 22nd of September.

Jesus rebuked the disciples sent by the Pharisees tasked to entrap him in speech. Behind the attempt to discredit Jesus in front of the people are the deeply envious Pharisees, learned in matters of the law but with Jesus were not only nasty but also full of malice. Jesus does not hold back strong words against this kind of people, calling them out as hypocrites; they are deceitful and prideful. They are good with words and preaching, but their deeds are completely opposite. They don’t walk their talk.

As a priest, I receive invitations to birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, and many more. These invitations are opportunities to come together and celebrate something or someone's special occasion. Some celebrations are thanksgiving to God for the gift of life or other blessings. As I write the reflection for this coming Sunday, I remember that I have a Birthday invitation tonight from my former dentist (Dr. Pam, as we Filipino priests fondly call her). We all miss her care, but she retired two years ago. Every year, she invites all her priest friends on her birthday. A Birthday Celebration reminds me that every human life is worth living and that all life, for that matter, is a precious gift worth treasuring and celebrating.

In ancient times, builders set the cornerstones (foundation or setting stone) as the principal stone, placed at the corner of the building, which serves as a guide for workers. All other stones refer to the cornerstone determining the orientation/position of the whole building. Often, it also serves as a reference for all other measurements. Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church He wants to build, and everything/everyone must start with Him as the foundation. Jesus Christ is the foundation and the most important part of building His Church. Everything starts from the Lord; He is the anchor and sets the direction and orientation of His Church. But also, Jesus is the stone rejected by the builder, who has become the cornerstone. So, consider it a privilege to share the experience of Jesus: rejected, persecuted, misjudged, or misunderstood many times. We take courage because although we may experience initial rejection like Jesus, we can also become the cornerstone. Jesus, the rejected one, is the Savior of the World.

Growing up with three brothers, family chores were divided to make things easier and faster. My Mom runs the household like a well oiled machine. Sometimes, Mom would ask a brother to do a task before going to work. Usually, she would entrust it to the older brothers, but we were young, and at times, would not get any commitment from them, so she would then pass it on to me I would complain by saying if my older siblings would not do it, why would I? But before Mom leaves would remind us that she would tell Dad that nobody wanted to obey her. Seldom would Dad discipline us, only when we disrespect or disobey Mom or our elders. Afraid of being grounded, though I said no initially, I do it anyway for my elder brothers. Besides, our youngest is too young to do it.

At the parking lot of Walmart Superstore on E Thomas Rd near 36th St., around 30 or more men lined up waiting to be hired for the day, and like the other wave of immigrants who came before, they have come to this land of opportunity in search of a better life for their families. Almost every day, you see them all line up on the road, waiting for an employer to pick them up and transport them to the workplace. Depending on what skill or the kind of work is needed, some get hired at dawn, others at midmorning, others at noon, and still others late in the afternoon. In any case, it is unlikely that they will receive equal pay because, in the real world, fair is fair, and one receives what is one’s due.

Peter asked the Lord how many times one must forgive a brother who wronged him. Jesus replied seventy times seven or seventy-seven times, in reference to Gen. 4:24 of Lamech wanting to avenge Cain not only sevenfold but seventy-sevenfold (unlimited). If Lamech would never forgive, Jesus said, we must always forgive. The Lord does not limit forgiveness to a fixed number of times, but we must forgive at all times and always. (St. John Chrysostom, In Matthaeums, 61:1)

Today, Jesus gives us guidelines on when to keep silent and when to talk, especially when doing fraternal correction. We cannot remain quiet to play safe and pretend to keep the peace when we really care for the souls of others who are treading the wrong path. But also, we cannot be too loud, vocal, and imprudent with our observations and opinions to the point of being insensitive, offensive, and hurtful. In every fraternal correction, the emphasis is the concern, the love, and the mercy for the other.

For Marriage Encounter weekend, fighting and arguing is a form of communication guided by helpful conflict management rules. Although appropriate for couples, these guidelines apply also to conflict situations outside marriage. Fraternal correction, if done correctly and with genuine concern for others is an effective instrument in healing wounded relationships, especially when Jesus is put in the midst of the conflict.

With the confession of faith of Peter and Jesus affirming what he said as coming not from man but from His heavenly Father, doubts within the disciples about the true identity of Jesus were answered. His revelation was unexpected: He confirms that He is the Messiah, but a suffering Messiah. Before the disciples start making a grand scheme of revealing Jesus to the people of Israel and make a big announcement of who He is He gives them a picture of His Messiahship and mission. The disciples must remove their preconceived ideas and let Jesus fulfill the mission entrusted to Him by the Father.

Peter not only confessed that Jesus is the Messiah but also that He is the Son of the living God. This concept is not new to the Jews because during the time of David, descendants of the anointed king were reckoned as sons of God (2 Sam 7:14).

While they were at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples: Who do people say the Son of Man is? Wherever Jesus goes, His fame precedes Him, but away from the prying eyes of Jewish leadership, He wants to know what people thought about Him. Are they open to His message and mission? The people of this region are pagans, raw, and probably less biased to His message.

From their response, Jesus proceeds to know from His own disciples: But who do you say I am? Based on their initial answer, we see no real consensus, with most seeing Him as one of the prophets and even as John the Baptist. Being with Jesus for some time, He asked the disciples their thoughts about Him. He wants to know what people say about Him, but equally important the depth of their perception and understanding of His identity and mission.

Today, we hear in the Gospel of the Canaanite woman who begged Jesus to help her daughter, who experiences evil torment. Knowing she is not a Jew, she feels her unworthiness and disadvantage, yet she persists in her plea, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters. We see in her an example of humility, faith, and gratitude when Jesus healed her daughter. Do we have the same faith and persistence as the woman?

In the Gospel, we hear Jesus - walking on the waters as He approached the disciples' boat rocked by a storm. Most disciples were fishermen who could probably swim, but seeing a person walking on top of the water and not - swimming frightened them. If we do it on our own, we certainly cannot, but with God - we can. How many times have we weathered the storm of our life because the Lord was there to help us? The scene of the panicking disciples was the complete opposite of the peace of Jesus while He was praying alone on the mountain.

In the Gospel, Jesus transfigured in the presence of His disciples Peter, James, and John. The transfiguration displayed God's glory and deepened their understanding of His identity and mission. When the disciples heard and experienced Jesus' glory in the mountain, it reminded them of what happened to Moses at Mt. Sinai (Ex.24). Jesus brought three disciples to Mt. Tabor while Moses also led three of his close associates up the mountain. Moses' face shone when he came down, while a cloud overshadowed Mt. Sinai a symbol of His glory. All the similarities reinforced the theme Matthew already developed: Jesus is the new Moses who comes to deliver the people of God. But Matthew emphasized that there is someone greater than Moses is here. Jesus is no mere human mediator like Moses; He is the Son of God, and His glory is not a reflected glory but His own.