Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Mark 11: 11-26

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area.
He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,
went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.
And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!”
And his disciples heard it.

They came to Jerusalem,
and on entering the temple area
he began to drive out those selling and buying there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who were selling doves.
He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.
Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written:

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
But you have made it a den of thieves.”

The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it
and were seeking a way to put him to death,
yet they feared him
because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, they went out of the city.

Early in the morning, as they were walking along,
they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look!
The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Why does Mark wedge this strange story of a fig tree into his Gospel?

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to be crucified, ushering in the climax of the Gospel story. Why worry about a fig tree? 

It wasn’t even fig season. This story happens in the middle of April; fig trees don’t bear fruit until late May or early June. 

So, what’s the meaning of it?

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Mark bookends the story of the fig tree immediately before and after Jesus cleanses the temple, because the fig tree was symbolic of what was happening inside God’s “house.” 

The religious authorities claimed to have knowledge of God, and were also the custodians of God’s “house,” but that authority never translated into fruitful action.

They were often greedy, arrogant, judgmental people, instead.

Mark uses the fate of the fig tree to serve as a reminder to us.

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We cannot claim to be followers of Christ without bearing fruit – both in season and out of season, when we feel like it and, equally, when we don’t.

At all times, Christians are called to be kind, generous, forgiving, “fruitful” people. Otherwise, we become like the withered fig tree, fruitless stewards of the faith.

If Jesus passed by us today, what kind of person would he find?

Would he find us bearing good fruit? Or withering on the vine?

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As Jesus says elsewhere, “I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

May we bring glory to God today.

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Image credits: (1) Got Questions (2) Pinterest (3) busyblessedwomen.com

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Gospel: Mark 10: 46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” 
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Have you ever imagined what it’s like to be blind?

As a kid, I’d probably imagine being blind felt like having your eyes closed. It’s just pitch black; dark all the time.

In reality, there are degrees of blindness. A person who’s legally blind may see light, colors, or have blurred vision. Life isn’t lived totally in the dark.

“Perfect vision,” on the other hand, means a person can see with absolute clarity, even recognizing the smallest detail.

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In today’s Gospel, we encounter a man who’s blind, Bartimaeus.

What makes him unique is not his blindness, but his faith. He “sees” something that many do not – Jesus is the “Son of David,” who has the power to heal him.

Hearing the voice of Jesus off in the distance, he casts aside his cloak – and all the coins resting on it, which he received from begging that day – and throws himself at the feet of Jesus. 

In doing so, Bartimaeus literally parted with everything he owned. It was a desperate display of faith.

“Master, I want to see,” he says. Bartimaeus wants to see more than the physical world; he wants to “see” Jesus, his Lord.

“Go, your faith has saved you.”

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Bartimaeus received two things that day, one we already have: his physical sight.

More importantly, he received something we all need: salvation. “Your faith has saved you,” Jesus says.

Like Bartimaeus, do we “see” Jesus? And if so, where?

Can we see him in prayer? Can we see him in the Eucharist? Can we see him in our neighbor?

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“Master, I want to see.”

May the Lord remove any blindness within us, giving what he once gave to Bartimaeus, perfect vision through eyes of faith.

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Image credits: (1) Adobe Stock (2) Vision Therapy Center (3) The Messianic Light

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Gospel: Luke 1:39 – 56

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Our parish vision statement begins with the words, “All generations journeying together.”

So much of that inspiration comes from today’s Gospel, when Mary and Elizabeth embrace. These expectant mothers represent “all generations.” 

Elizabeth, a barren, elderly woman married for many years. Mary, an unwed teenager. And their unborn children, John and Jesus, representing their hopes for the future.

Though Mary and Elizabeth’s age and life experiences are different, they find in each other what they couldn’t have on their own: Community. Affirmation. Friendship. Belonging. Understanding.

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These are things I hope we find “journeying together.”

Although we’re different in age and experience, like Mary and Elizabeth, God has brought us together for his own purpose. He seeks to offer us what we could not have on our own: 

Community. Affirmation. Friendship. Belonging. Understanding.

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May we carry that affirming, communal spirit of Mary and Elizabeth forward so that we can show others what it feels like to be, All generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!

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Image credits: (1) Passionist Nuns (2) Catholic Mom (3) Pravmir.com