Author: admin

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Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, 
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons 
throughout the whole of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel describes a full day in the life of Jesus.

We begin mid-morning. Jesus leaves the synagogue, having just cast out an unclean spirit – his first public miracle in Mark’s Gospel. 

“After lunch,” he enters Simon Peter’s home, where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law who is deathly ill. Then word spreads fast enough for crowds to start gathering around him, so the Lord continues his healing work well after sunset.

I’d imagine by the end of the night, he was exhausted.

But the Gospel tells us that the next morning, he rose, “very early before dawn,” where he went off on his own to a deserted place to pray. I’d imagine Jesus began each day that way – up early in prayer.

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Prayer is also what sustains our own spiritual life. 

The Lord reminds us the best time to do it is “very early before dawn,” before the stress, demands, and weight of other commitments compete for our time. It’s like having a spiritual “cup of coffee.”

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How much time do I spend in prayer each day? Have I tried praying like the Lord, “very early before dawn?”

And what is my prayer life like?

Often it changes over time. Some weeks, even months or longer, might be spent in silence; other moments can be filled with scripture study, spiritual reading, uplifting music, journaling, or heart-to-heart sharing with the Lord.

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Over time, a certain peace settles in which cannot be taken away, leading us to discover what the Lord models for us today – that prayer is our deepest source of strength, which compels us to do good.

Take a moment of silence. Allow the Lord to “fill your cup” with grace.

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Image credits: (1) The Busy Woman (2) Healing Peter’s Mother in Law, John Bridges (3) Lafia Craft

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Gospel: Mark 1: 21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, 
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” 
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet!  Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
 “What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Here, in the opening chapter of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus has just invited his disciples to follow him. The first stop on their journey is a synagogue in Capernaum, where the Lord begins to teach.

Much like a cell phone ringing in the middle of a sermon, an anonymous man interrupts the Lord, crying out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”

If I were the one preaching that day, I would’ve been taken aback. But the Lord doesn’t miss a beat. He muzzles the demon, casting him out of the tortured man just by the sound of his voice. 

Meanwhile, the disciples must’ve been wondering what on earth just happened.

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Even in this early stage of their journey, they are beginning to learn some important lessons about Jesus, faith, and the world around them.

First, Christ has the power to do what he says. He not only preaches about Good News – the blind regaining their sight, captives being set free, the dead being raised – he also brings it.

Second, there is the real presence of evil in this world, which Jesus comes to disrupt. The fact that the demon protests Christ’s presence in the synagogue suggests that it had already been there – and it intended on staying – before being unexpectedly cast out.

Notice the spirit was not floating aimlessly like a cloud in the sky. It was embedded in a real human being. All of the evil spirits Christ binds come out of human beings, suggesting evil is not an impersonal force; it must take on flesh to have power.

The disciples themselves will be tested in this way as they fight against fear, temptation, and despair while following Jesus to the cross and beyond.

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Much like the man in the synagogue, we can all be weighed down by sin or impurity. And we can bring these destructive habits into holy places – our marriage, families, friendships, homes, and workplaces.

Christ comes not to judge or condemn us, but to cast these spirits out.

May we welcome the Lord today, who comes to set us free.

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Image credits: (1) FreePik (2) Friarmusings (3) Salem Tabernacle

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Gospel: Mark 1: 14-20

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m sure we all have a favorite picture, framed and hanging on a wall inside our home.

Mine is a picture of Jesus. It hangs in my living room. I see it every time I walk in through the front door, reminding me of his love for me – and mine for him. 

One thing we probably never think about is the nail behind the picture frame. Once it goes into the wall, the nail is no longer visible. Naturally, we forget about it.

But without that nail, your picture frame would slide down the wall and crash on the floor, splitting the wood and shattering the glass.

In that sense, a nail serves two purposes: it brings two separate objects together – like a picture frame to a wall – and it provides enduring support.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls the first of his disciples, one being Andrew, the brother of Peter. While much could be said about each of these men, just a brief word on Andrew.

Think of him like a nail. 

He will connect more people with Jesus than anyone else in the Gospels. One might think, because of his zeal, he will be rewarded with becoming a valued member of Jesus’ inner circle, like his brother, Peter.

But he won’t be. Even more, it is Peter, not Andrew, who will be given the keys to the kingdom. 

Andrew could’ve been resentful, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. 

His purpose was not to take center stage, but to connect people with Jesus then fade to the background while providing enduring support, much like a nail connecting a frame to a wall. 

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As we begin another week, and another year, perhaps we can ponder two things:

How do we model Andrew’s humility? And how might we connect others with Christ? 

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Image credits: (1) Pantocrator, Sinai (2) Popular Mechanics (3) Prayers and Petitions