Beloved: Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. – 1 Peter 3:18 When I think of a desert, I imagine a desolate place with no clear paths marked out for traveling. Just a wide expanse of sand or rocks without water or many plants or wildlife. It’s a place one could easily get lost. The desert of Lent can feel the same…
He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp. – Leviticus 13:46 Our healing theme from last week continues this week as Jesus heals a man with leprosy (Mark 1:40-45). This disease was so contagious that those who suffered from it were forced to live by themselves and endured social and religious exclusion. Our first reading from Sunday shows this clearly: “As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean,…
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 This time of winter is always a little “low” for me. Can you relate? The weather is often cold and dreary, although we’ve had some really nice days lately. Illnesses, stress, and grief seem to weigh on our hearts a little harder in February. It leaves me wondering what happened to all that Christmas joy from just a few weeks ago? It seems to…
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him. Mark 1:27 There are many accounts in Mark’s Gospel where demons or unclean spirits obey Jesus. Mark 3:11 tells us that “whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God.’” Chapter 5 shows Jesus commanding the many demons called “Legion” out of the Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). As we travel through Mark in this year’s…
Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. – Mark 1:17-18 Has God ever come along and changed everything in your life? Maybe it was a decision that caused you to move away from your home to take a new job in a new city. Or perhaps a family member needed your help, and you had to rearrange your life…
“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” -Psalm 40:8-9 The Psalm often gives us a hint at the “theme” of the readings during Mass. It is usually sung or simply chanted and allows us to meditate on the theme by engaging our bodies and hearts in a different way. When we sing sacred music, we use our body, mind, and spirit together to praise God. The Psalm should focus our hearts and…
“They were overjoyed at seeing the star.” – Matthew 2:10 What does it mean to be “overjoyed?” It strikes me that in the King James translation when the magi saw the start they were so filled with joy that St. Matthew emphasized it twice: “they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (KJV). The Greek words used here are chairo (rejoice) and chara (joy). To rejoice means to feel or show great joy or delight. Interestingly, another…
“Look to the Lord in his strength; constantly seek his face.” – Psalm 105:4 I love the simplicity of the Nativity scene. Each person in the scene is directed toward Jesus in the manger. Everyone surrounds and looks lovingly at the Christ child. The One the entire universe was created through made manifest in a tiny baby: All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be” (John 1:3). Today we…
“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 God is so amazing. He will not be outdone in faithfulness or generosity. We’ve been praying this Advent for God to come to us: “Come, Lord Jesus!” He always fills our true needs, and He often does that in surprising ways. Think about…
“My soul rejoices in my God.” – Isaiah 61:10 Spotless Mary, conceived without sin, pray for me that I might have a heart like yours, one that seeks to magnify the Lord. Pray that I may have a joyful heart that rejoices in God and praises His name above all others, especially above my own name. May I always seek to glorify Him and not myself. Pray for me that my heart may be grateful…