Today is World Down Syndrome Day and I honor my precious granddaughter, Pana, who has Down syndrome. March 21, the third month of the year, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome that causes the condition. The extra chromosome can cause differences in learning, physical features, and overall growth.

In our key verse, the question reflects how people often judge others based on background or appearance. But Jesus taught us to look beyond external differences and embrace the inherent worth of every person. As we commemorate His passion, death, and resurrection this week, let’s remember that He rose from the dead not for a chosen few but for all of us.

Pana just turned five. Today I celebrate her achievements and abilities. God makes no mistakes. He created Pana as a gift to our family.  We know that He will provide her with the choicest blessings necessary to live a happy and fulfilling life. 

Mari SisonGarcia (mari_sison_garcia@yahoo.com)

reflect

Do we pigeonhole people according to their status in life? 

Lord, help me avoid categorizing and discriminating against others. Give me the grace and the humility to treat everyone equally like Jesus did. 

Blessed Maria Candida of the Eucharist, pray for us.

Over the years, humanity has proven itself to be untrustworthy. We have had experiences of being betrayed by a friend or family member. We have also experienced the hardship, tears, and pains of being reconciled to one another as a result of betrayal and sin. Unfortunately, this seems to be the nature of human relationships. Yet, it does not have to be. We can choose otherwise, thanks to the gift of salvation at work in us.

¹⁸ I knew their plot because the Lord informed me; at that time you, O Lord, showed me their doings. ¹⁹ Yet, I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter, had not realized that they were hatching plots against me: “Let us destroy the tree in its vigor; let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will not be spoken no more.” ²⁰ “But you, O Lord of hosts, O just Judge, searcher of mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause!”

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 7:2-3, 9-10, 11-12

R: O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.

² O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me, ³ lest I become like the lion’s prey, to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me. (R) ⁹ Do me justice, O Lord, because I am just, and because of the innocence that is mine. ¹⁰ Let the malice of the wicked come to an end, but sustain the just, O searcher of heart and soul, O just God. (R) ¹¹ A shield before me is God, who saves the upright of heart; ¹² a just judge is God, a God who punishes day by day. (R)

Gospel | John 7:40-53

Jesus and His preaching was a source of disagreement among the people. Now, we understand what He meant when He said that His life would bring division. Some will accept the Gospel while others will reject it. This division exists within families and all human groups. As Christians, let us bear witness through a life that will convince those who do not believe to rethink their ways.

Gospel Acclamation

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.

⁴⁰ Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “This is the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? ⁴² Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” ⁴³ So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. ⁴⁴ Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. ⁴⁵ So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?” ⁴⁶ The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” ⁴⁷ So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? ⁴⁸ Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.” ⁵⁰ Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, ⁵¹ “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” ⁵² They answered and said to him, “You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” ⁵³ Then each went to his own house.

Read the Bible in one year! Read GENESIS 31 - 33 today.

I remember a story about a young man from a small rural village who dreamed of becoming a doctor. Many doubted him because of his humble beginnings, saying, “How can someone like him succeed?” Despite the discouragement, he worked hard, excelled in school, and eventually became a prominent doctor, known not only for his skills but also for his kindness and humility. When asked about his success, he would simply say, “I remembered where I came from, but I didn’t let it define where I could go.”

This story reminds us of Jesus who could be considered a “promdi or probinsyano” (from the province) since He grew up in Nazareth, Galilee, far from Jerusalem, the country’s center. Nazareth was known as a place where nothing good ever came from. Yet, Jesus proved that a person’s worth is not determined by their place of origin but by their character.

Many were touched by Jesus’ wisdom, holiness, and most especially, His integrity. He was very different from the Pharisees and scribes, who, though raised in Jerusalem and well-versed in the law, were hypocritical and full of insecurity.

It doesn’t matter who you were at birth; what matters is who you become as you grow up. Jesus may have had a humble birth, but He became great through His obedience to the Father. Let this be a reminder that true greatness lies in the actions and choices we make, not in where we came from. Like the young man who defied expectations, we, too, can rise above our circumstances and let our faith and character define our path. 

Fr. Toto Cerada, SDB

reflection question

This Lent, how can you rise above judgments and focus on becoming the person God calls you to be through acts of faith, humility, and obedience?

Lord, this Lenten season, teach me to rise above judgments and doubts. Help me to embrace humility and obedience, so I may become who You desire me to be. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _______________________________________________