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Last week for World Communications Day, Pope Francis released a statement saying that “fake news” is as old as the Garden of Eden. He urged the faithful to share information responsibly. He said that the spread of fake news leads to an increase of arrogance and hatred. He’s right. The devil isn’t just the inventor of fake news. He hasn’t let up since that story in Genesis. He is and always will be the Father of Lies and yes, the Prince of Fake News too. To prove my point, take a look at some of his best (or worst, I suppose) headlines. THE NEW SUPERFOOD THAT GOD DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT!! Ah, yes. The First Fake News. Pope Francis talked about how this incident was so similar to what happens today. The devil used manipulation and fabrication of facts to confuse and trick Eve. She thought she was getting an easy way to find equal footing with God. Boy, was she in for a miserable surprise! CONTINUE READING 

Calling of Peter and Andrew Duccio di Buoninsegna  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Mark 1:14-20 ( New Revised  Standard Version, Anglicised CatholicEdition )   Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,   and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen.  And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’  And immediately they left their nets and followed him.  As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.  Immediately he called them; and they left t

From The Gospel of John , directed by Philip Saville Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel John 1:35-42 ( NRSV, Anglicised CatholicEdition ) The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is tra

Presentation in the Temple- Gerbrand van de Eeckhout [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel Luke 2:22-40 [2:22, 39-40] ( NRSV,Catholic Edition ) When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord[ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Sim

Supper at Emmaus (detail), Caravaggio [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel Matthew 22:1-14 [22:1-10] ( NRSV, Anglicised CatholicEdition ) Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned th

The Virgin of the Grapes, Pierre Mignard [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel Matthew 21:33-43 ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Ed .) Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: ‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let

The Repentant Peter , El Greco  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Matthew 16:21-27 ( New Revised  Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition )   From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want t

Religious pendant showing Christ blessing, framed with rubies and pearls [ Wikipedia ] The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it (Matthew 13:45). For Readings and Reflections for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, click on the following: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Chaldean Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows, Baghdad, Iraq [ Wikipedia ] In Sunday Reflections for this Sunday three years ago I highlighted the situation of Christians in Iraq and Syria and included a statement by Patriarch Louis Raphael I of the Chaldean Catholic Church dated 17 July 2014. Below is a video of the Patriarch reopening a Catholic Church in Tel Kaif ( Tel Keppe ), about 12 kms north of Mosul, in January of this year. This area is historically the centre of the Chaldean Catholic community in Iraq. Please pray for all of the Christians of Iraq and Syria,

Sheaves of Wheat , Van Gogh  [ Web Gallery of Art ] For Readings and Reflections for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A,  click on the following:   Sixteenth  Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A The Harvest ,  Émile Bernard  [ Web Gallery of Art ] When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. An old Protestant hymn from the USA,   Bringing in the Sheaves , performed in Cape Town (Kapstadt), South Africa.  The hymn is based on Psalm 126 [125]:6. They go out, they go out, full of tears,  carrying seed for the sowing;  they come back, they come back, full of song,  carrying their sheaves.

First Steps (after Millet) , Van Gogh  [ Web Gallery of Art ] For Readings and Reflections for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A,  click on the following:   Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A A Beggar Boy with a Piece of Pie Master of the Blue Jeans [ Web Gallery of Art ]

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem, Melozzo da Forli The Commemoration of the Lord's Entrance into Jerusalem Gospel Matthew 21:1-11 ( NRSV,Catholic E d. , Can .) When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and sprea

The Raising of Lazarus, Rembrandt [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible) For the shorter form of the Gospel omit the passages [in square brackets]. Gospel John 11:1-44 [11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45] ( NRSV,Catholic Ed )  [Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.] So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ [The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Je

Blind Pensioner with a Stick, Van Gogh [ Web Gallery of Ar t] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India Gospel John 9:1-41 [9: 1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38] ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Ed ) As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. [His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’] When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘I

Rest on the Flight into Egypt (detail) , Caravaggio [ Web Gallery of Art ] But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a woman forget her nursing-child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget,yet I will not forget you (Isaiah 49:14-15). Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales,  India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa ) Gospel Matthew 6:24-34 ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Edition )  Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither

On February 22, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the importance of  Christian hope in the face sin during his  weekly General Audience.  Although his reflections focused on the corruption of creation, they are not the opinions of a left-leaning environmentalist but the profound insights of a man of God. The Environment Unfortunately, many Catholics might overreact when they read the title of the pope's latest address, just like they did in  September  when Pope Francis said it was a sin to destroy the environment, turning it into ‘wasteland full of debris, desolation and filth’  and called for concrete action on climate change. Again, last year, his controversial encyclical on the environment,  Laudato si’ , seemed to upset some conservatives. However, if we do not react to sensational headlines but actually read the Pontiff's homilies, encyclicals and addresses on the environment in their entirety, we will unearth deep spiritual inspiration which stands on

A View of Toledo, El Greco 'A city built on a hill cannot be hidden' (Mt 5:14) Readings  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings  (Jerusalem Bible) Gospel  Matthew 5:13-16 ( NRSV )  Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’ Childhood of Christ, Gerrit van Honthorst  'Let your light shine before others . . .' (Mt 5:16). One of the darkest periods in the history of the world was 1939 to 1945 when much of the world was at war. At the heart of the darkne

Sermon on the Mountain, Károly Ferenczy Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible Gospel Matthew 4:12-23 [or 12-17] ( NRSV,Catholic Ed ) When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on

Madonna and Child with the Lamb of God, Cesare da Sesto Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales,) Gospel John 1:29-34 ( NRSV ) The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’ Sunday Reflections for the Feast of the Santo Niño (Philippines) are here . San Alfonso de Liguori Parish, Rom