REFLECTIONS TODAY A man from the crowd brings to Jesus his son who is suffering from epilepsy, an illness attributed to the possession by a dumb spirit. His initial desire was to bring the sick boy to Jesus, but in Jesus’ absence he brought the boy to the disciples who were unable to heal him....
REFLECTIONS TODAY Lk 6:27-38 Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today Jesus rejects the messianic glory expected by the people of Israel and embraces the destiny of the suffering Son of Man. He invites his would-be follower to do the same — to renounce one’s self, take up one’s cross, and lose one’s life for Jesus and the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today Jesus’ power to heal is most often instantaneous. He can also heal from a distance, as in the case of the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman (Mk 7:29-30). A woman with a flow of blood is cured by mere touching of his clothes (Mk 5:28-29). But the healing of a...
REFLECTIONS TODAY LUKE 6:17, 20-26 Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today The Code of Holiness in Leviticus 19 prescribes various rules of conduct for the Israelites to become holy before the Lord. They observe the kosher or dietary laws that include what food may be eaten. Blood and certain animals and birds are “unclean” and may...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today Qorban means “dedicated,” a gift given to God. The Israelites dedicate some things to God, reserving them for sacred use and withdrawing them from their intended use. This practice may be based on the commandment of honoring one’s vow (Dt 30:2), but this...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today Whenever Jesus enters villages, cities, or countryside, people run to and fro to meet him. In some instances, Jesus perhaps simply wants to pass by a place with no intention to preach, in a hurry to reach a place where he and his disciples may have peace and...
REFLECTIONS TODAY LUKE 5:1-11 While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today When the Twelve return to Jesus and report what they had done and taught during their mission, Jesus invites them to a deserted place to rest a while. Here we see Jesus’ great concern for his disciples—and later, for the crowd. Mark does not identify the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today John the Baptist is in the mold of the prophets of old, “a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass” against the powerful rulers (Jer 1:18). He is put to death by Herod who recognizes him as “a righteous and holy man” but succumbs to public...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Reflections today The people of the town where Jesus performed the exorcism of the demoniac appear to be ingrates. Now that the demoniac who has grown to be uncontrollable and has spread fear among them is finally subdued, they have the guts to beg Jesus to leave their town, after...
