During difficult moments in life, we can find ourselves asking if God really exists. In the Papal Visit of Pope Francis last 2015, one of the most heart-warming scenes was the encounter between the Pope and a homeless young girl at the University of Sto. Tomas. Tearfully, she asked him, “Bakit po pumapayag ang Diyos na may ganitong nangyayari? Kahit walang kasalanan ang mga bata? At bakit kaunti lang ang mga taong tumutulong sa amin?” [“Why does God allow something like this to happen? Even if the children are innocent? And why are there so few people helping us?”] Like that little girl in UST, there were moments in my life, especially in times of difficulties, that I asked myself if God is accompanying me in my journey.

In today’s gospel, we see Herod trying to figure out who Jesus was. He had been hearing about Jesus. People had told him many fantastic stories about him and his ministry. Others told him that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from his grave, or he could also be Elijah. Herod wanted to know more about Jesus.

Many times, we ask how Jesus works in our lives. We want to know more about Him. By grace, we can know Jesus, and prayer is how we communicate with Him. We may think that it is hard to picture out who Jesus is, and we sometimes end up with an image of Jesus who is actually a projection of somebody we know or have heard about. The Gospel challenges me to know Jesus more deeply, and not just about Him. May we recognize Him in the moments of grace, challenges and obstacles that come our way. May we also be open to see Him in other people we serve.

By: Sem. Jimwell S. Sales

Today’s Gospel

Luke 9:7-9

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he kept trying to see him.