Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Mark 2: 23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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It’s been said, “There is no fight like a family fight – or as some families call it, Thanksgiving dinner.”

Living in tight quarters, and even sharing DNA, does not mean that we inherently agree with one another. Topics like politics and religion are often lightning rods, which families intentionally avoid, lest there be a blow up at the dinner table.

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In today’s Gospel, there’s a “family fight” between Jesus, his disciples, and the Pharisees over what is lawful to do on the Sabbath.

It’s easy for us distant listeners to imagine the Pharisees as being totally other; enemies of Jesus and his followers from the very start. But that is not the case. All of them present in this argument are Jewish, and presumably of good will.

All of them grew up reading the Torah. All of them understood what was – and wasn’t – considered lawful on the Sabbath.

The fact that Mark cites this argument as taking place in a field of grain suggests that the Pharisees were among Jesus initial followers; they weren’t hiding out in the field waiting to catch him by surprise. They were genuinely curious about who this rabbi was.

Only later in his Gospel does Mark acknowledge the separation between Jesus and the Pharisees as they begin plotting his death. But the argument today over the Sabbath may have been what caused the split.

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The fundamental difference between Jesus and the Pharisees is their starting point. The Pharisees viewed all of life through the lens of law. Jesus, however, starts with the heart. 

What good is it, according to Christ’s logic, to follow a series of rules – washing one’s hands, avoiding work on the Sabbath, or abstaining from certain foods – if doing such things does not lead to a transformation of the heart?

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Thus, it’s not what we do that matters as much as why we do it. Follow the rules. Or don’t. It only makes a difference if we follow them out of love.

May the Lord renew and cleanse us all today so that we may better love and serve him – not just on the Sabbath – but every day of our lives.

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Image credits: (1) Calibre Control (2) Jesus and His Apostles, Wehle (3) Linda’s Bible Study, WordPress

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Gospel: Mark 2: 18-22

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
 but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Fermentation is the process that turns grape juice into wine. During fermentation, gas is released, causing the wineskins to expand, which is why new, stretchy wineskins must be used.

Old skins rip and tear, as Jesus describes in today’s Gospel.

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What is this “new wine” that the Lord is speaking of? And who are the “wine skins”?

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Most directly, the Lord is speaking to his Apostles. He longs to pour the “new wine” of his love into their hearts. However, divine love releases grace, causing the human heart to expand, which at times, can be uncomfortable.

If the Apostles are going to become who Jesus desires them to be – the foundation of the Church and his witnesses to the ends of the earth – then they must be willing to be stretched like new wineskins.

This stretching begins during their earthly journey with Jesus, as they digest his teachings and witness his miracles, but their transformation is complete at Pentecost. 

There, they are no longer the same fishermen who dropped their nets on the shores of Galilee, nor are they the same men who fled fearfully from Calvary. They become emboldened; determined; convinced; ready to do the Lord’s will.

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At times, we all need a little stretching – a change in belief, a renewal of spirit.

But God will not force himself upon us; we must be willing to change. As Saint Thomas Aquinas once said, “grace builds upon nature.”

So, where am I in need of renewal, an infusion of divine grace?

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In the words of Saint Paul, “May God who has begun this good work within us bring it to fulfillment.” 

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Image credits: (1) Lay Cistercians of South Florida (2) Daily Dose with Dr.Shermaine (3) Medium

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Gospel: John 1: 29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Raising a child is a challenge. Looking back, I’m sure every parent can share heroic stories of all-nighters, unexpected bills, endless chauffeuring, childhood illnesses, unwarranted fears, and the awful heartbreak that comes when your child’s heart breaks.

When your child erupts into tears, you’d do anything to exchange places, bearing all of their pain in your own body. That’s the nature of love – love bears another person’s burdens and desires their good, even if it comes at great personal cost to you.

But when parents see their child smile back at them, when they watch their child flourish, or walk down the aisle on their wedding day, all of the sacrifice is validated. Most, if not all, would say, “I’d do it again.”

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Jesus feels the same way about us. 

He willingly bears our sins, shares our pain, offers us his peace, and rejoices when we flourish.

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Last Sunday, we heard the account of Christ’s baptism according to Saint Matthew. Today we hear about the same event according to Saint John.

Interestingly, John’s focus is not on the actual baptism of the Lord – he barely alludes to it. Rather, Saint John focuses on the profession of faith made by John the Baptist when Jesus’ true identity is revealed.

“Behold, the lamb of God,” he says, “who takes away the sin of the world.”

This title – “lamb of God” – speaks to the very heart of who Jesus is. Yet it’s not found in any other Gospel. John himself only uses it twice.

So, why is Jesus “the lamb of God?” And how might this title shape our understanding of him?

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It is difficult for our modern, Western minds to appreciate the depth of John the Baptist’s words, but his profession of faith would’ve ignited an avalanche of meaning for all of the Jews standing on the banks of the Jordan River that day.

Because John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus, he understood the logic and prophecies of the Old Testament. John realized that the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac in the Book of Genesis prefigures the sacrifice of Christ.

Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, so God the Father is willing to offer his only Son for our salvation. And just as Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice, so Jesus will carry the wood of the cross.

And when Isaac saw the altar, the fire, and the knife but no lamb to offer, Abraham assured his son, “God himself will provide the lamb.”

Jesus is that lamb.

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Similarly, John would’ve connected the hundreds of thousands of lambs sacrificed in the Temple on the Feast of Passover with the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.

Just as lambs were offered in atonement for the sins of Israel, Jesus is the lamb of God, whose death will atone for the sin of the world once and for all.

Most poetically, John identifies Jesus as the Suffering Servant foretold by the prophet Isaiah. 

“We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way,” Isaiah proclaimed, “but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, he did not open his mouth… My servant, the just one, shall justify many, their guilt he shall bear.”

Christ, the gentle and pure lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world by loving us and giving himself for us.

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How do I experience God’s parental, sacrificial love for me? 

And how does that love spill over into my relationships with others? 

As Christ’s disciples, we are called to not only love Jesus, but also to live like him, to embody the lamb by making sacrifices for the good of others – for those within our faith community, for the sick, the suffering, the poor, the stranger, and the sinner.

As Saint Teresa of Avila once wrote:

“Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes which he looks compassionately on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses the world. Christ has no body now but yours.”

How are we “lambs” of God, Christ for others?

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Just as parents willingly expend themselves for the good of their children, Jesus offers himself for the life of the world.

As his disciples, we are called to do the same – to embody the lamb. To be his voice, his hands, and his feet in this world.

What might that look like for us this week?

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Image credits: (1) The Abbot’s Circle (2) Francisco de Zubarán, Museo del Prado (3) AZ Quotes