REFLECTIONS TODAY The choice of the Apostles is a personal initiative of Jesus who “appoints” them as Twelve to refer to the community of believers constituting the 12 tribes of the “new Israel,” the chosen people of God, now called the Church (Greek ekklesia). With the selection of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus embarks on the second phase of his ministry. In stark contrast to previous hostility of the Jewish religious authorities, Jesus is described as popular among the general populace by his healing touch and power over the demonic forces. The frenzy of the crowd pressing...
REFLECTIONS TODAY According to the scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus’ noncompliance with the Sabbath rest is proof that he is not a man from God. Jesus disputes this accusation by giving a deeper meaning to the Sabbath. Jesus claims to be “Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mk 2:28) and, as the Divine...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 2:23-28 The Hebrew term shabbath means “to cease or to rest.” The Sabbath signifies the apex of God’s creation. God blessed and sanctified the seventh day and made it holy (Gn 2:2-3). For Israel—and for all mankind—it is a rest day to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Jewish rabbis, particularly the scribes and the Pharisees, would want to contain Jesus and his message in the ways of the Mosaic Law and their traditions. But doing so would be like containing the fresh and liberating spirit of Jesus’ teaching—the “new wine”—in the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19 Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I did not call you,” Eli said. “Go back to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The call of the tax collector Levi (Matthew) highlights the mercy of God that turns sinners to righteous men and women. In fact, the most convincing proclaimers of God’s pardon and reconciliation are those people who have been emancipated from the stigma of sinfulness and given...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 2:1-12 In truth, God alone can forgive sins. A human being may forgive or excuse the sin of another, but something remains of that sin; the guilt still remains before God, it is not erased. Only God’s forgiveness removes the guilt. But Jesus, as the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY This expression comes from the Greek verb splagchinizomai, which literally means to be moved so deeply that one feels it in one’s entrails (entrails or bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity). This means that Jesus feels in his “stomach” the pitiful...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus finds welcome and success in Capernaum. He cures the mother-in-law of Simon Peter and stays in Simon’s house where he ministers to the sick and those possessed by demons. Simon and Andrew and the other disciples certainly enjoy the “honor” of being close associates of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Authority (Greek exousia) is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and to influence the behavior of others. In matters of faith and morals, the scribes have the authority to teach and command the people, based on their knowledge of the Law and their dependence...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Matthew and Luke have infancy narratives to prepare for Jesus’ appearance to Israel as the preacher of the Good News of salvation. John, in turn, has the Prologue about the preexistent Logos (Word) who has become flesh in Jesus. Mark, instead, has Jesus being introduced by “a...
