Ross Dizon

Eager and High-Spirited Sowers

Jesus is the one who sows the word of the Kingdom. And he wants his followers to be eager and high-spirited sowers that he is. The wise and the learned say Jesus blasphemes, breaks the law and is possessed by the devil (Mk 2, 7. 24; 3, 22). But  the simple folks...

Meek Teacher, and Lowly as Well

Jesus is meek and lowly. And he asks us to learn from him, so that we may find rest. The Gospel reading last Sunday spoke about how much it would cost to follow Jesus (Mt 10, 37-42). And the Teacher demanded complete loyalty. Even if it meant painful break with the...

Illusions about Our Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus is the Suffering Servant of the Lord. Those who truly know him do not have illusions about him. The Teacher gives the Twelve full disclosure. For he does not want them to have illusions about how much it costs to be an apostle. After all, this is what calling...

Afraid at Night, Uneasy at Daylight

Jesus is and will always be with us until the end of the age. We put our trust in him and in his words when we are afraid. Jesus tells the Twelve that no disciple is above his teacher. That is to say, those who are like wolves will call them names and speak ill of...

The height of folly

Easter Sunday (B), April 5, 2015 – Acts 10, 34a. 37-43; Col 3, 1-4 or 1 Cor 5, 6b-8; Jn 20, 1-9 God raised him on the third day (Acts 10, 40) In the risen Jesus is the foolishness of the cross exalted. By the Lord has this been done! By grace Peter and the beloved...

Dying to live forever

Palm Sunday (B), March 29, 2015 – Mk 11, 1-10 or Jn 12, 12-16; Is 50, 4-7; Phil 2, 6-11; Mk 14, 1 – 15, 47 He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death (Phil 2, 8) Jesus does not come down from the cross to save himself. He thus opens for us the way of salvation....

Drawing power

Fifth Sunday of Lent (B), March 22, 2015 – Jer 31, 31-34; Heb 5, 7-9; Jn 12, 20-33 He learned obedience from what he suffered (Heb 5, 8) Lifted up from the earth, Jesus seals a new pact. The Lord promises a new covenant. It will not be like that of Sinai, which was...

Falling back and springing forward

Fourth Sunday of Lent (B), March 15, 2015 – 2 Chon 36, 14-16. 19-23; Eph 2, 4-10; Jn 3, 14-21 By grace you have been saved through faith (Eph 2, 8) Jesus crucified bears out that where sin increases, grace overflows all the more. Salvation history is, in summary, the...

He nails it

Third Sunday of Lent (B), March 8, 2015 – Ex 20, 1-17; 1 Cor 1, 22-25; Jn 2, 13-25 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom (1 Cor 1, 22) Jesus is doing something new that is already perceivable. We must fix our gaze on it, no longer remembering the events of the...

Nothing but the full truth

Second Sunday of Lent (B), March 1, 2015 – Gen 22, 1-2. 9a. 10-13. 15-18; Rom 8, 31b-34; Mk 9, 2-10 He handed him over for us all (Rom 8, 32) Jesus is the fullness of revelation. He transforms into his glorious image the hearers and doers of his word, willing even to...

The lure of the desert

First Sunday of Lent (B), February 22, 2015 – Gen 9, 8-15; 1 Pt 3, 18-22; Mk 1, 12-15 An appeal to God for a clear conscience (1 Pt 3, 21) Driven into the desert by the same Spirit that descended on him at the Jordan, Jesus is revealed as the leader of the new exodus....

Blessed curse

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B), February 15, 2015 – Lev 13, 1-2. 45-46; 1 Cor 10, 31 – 11, 1; Mk 1, 40-45 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Cor 11, 1) Jesus bears our infirmities and endures our sufferings. His true followers follow his example. A leper...