Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Mark 12: 28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
“You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What does it look like for a person to fulfill the Law as the Lord describes in today’s Gospel?

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Perhaps one of the greatest examples is that of Saint Paul, the greatest missionary of his age.

Paul not only sailed the open seas preaching the Gospel in foreign lands; he also travelled more than 10,000 miles on foot, often enough in danger of losing his life! Over the course of his journey, he was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and left for dead.

But his stubbornness converted souls.

In his final pastoral letter, Paul wrote to his “spiritual son,” Timothy, saying, “As for me, the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.”

Faith which came at a very high cost.

Here Paul uses athletic language, leaving the impression that he’s exhausted himself after years of toil. 

This particular word, “departure,” literally means, “to remove the yoke from an ox,” giving the impression that Paul feels the weight of his ministry is being lifted from his shoulders. He’s done what was his to do.

So, who will bear the weight of his ministry now? Timothy, who represents the next generation.

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Each of us in our own way is a successor to Saint Paul, and therefore to Christ. Our baptism incorporates us into his body, compelling us to do his will.

So, how do we know if we’ve done God’s will and fulfilled the Law each day?

One example I practice is to look at a crucifix at the end of each night. If I can gaze upon the Lord honestly with a sense of tiredness because I’ve tried to love Him and my neighbor as best I can, then I believe I’ve done what he’s asked of me that day.

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While none of us may rival the accomplishments of Saint Paul, we can each follow his example by preaching Christ crucified in our words and actions.

Then, when our time comes, we can say in the words of Zechariah, “Lord, now you may let your servant go in peace.” 

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Image credits: (1) Love and Law, More than Useless (2) Paul of Tarsus, Peter Paul Rubens (3) Krystal Craven Christian Music

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Gospel: Luke 11: 14-23

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Sometimes when we get caught in a heated argument and it seems like neither side is winning – or worse, we are losing – we raise our voices in frustration and shout untrue insults about the other person in an effort to hurt them. 

Such is the case in today’s Gospel.

Jesus’ enemies catch him driving out a demon from a possessed man. For whatever reason, they are either jealous of the Lord or threatened by his power. 

Knowing they cannot win that argument – who but God alone can drive out demons? – they start slandering him. “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons,” they say.

A ridiculous claim.

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Still, the Lord takes them head on, saying he cannot be in cahoots with Beelzebul, because he has come – not to serve Satan – but to drive him out.

“When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe,” Jesus says. “But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils.”

Satan is the “strong man,” who is overpowered by Christ. His “spoils” are every soul caught in sin.

But by his death and resurrection, Christ can free every soul from Satan’s grasp.

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During this Lenten season, we’re invited to ponder, “What aspect of my life remains caught in sin? Where do I need the Lord’s healing power?”

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Some may be under the throes of addiction. Others might have pride, greed, anger, or jealousy deeply rooted in their heart. Others, at times, may be allergic to the truth or afraid to surrender fully to God’s will.

 “I have come that they may have life, life in abundance,” Jesus says. 

May all who call on the name of the Lord experience the freedom and peace, which Christ has brought us.

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Image credits: (1) FreePik (2) Sound Cloud (3) Cedarview Community Church

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Gospel: Matthew 5: 17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus divides Jews from Christians the same way he divides the bible in two. There’s the Old Testament and the New Testament with Christ as the hinge. Jews are still awaiting the Messiah, while Christians say Christ is the Messiah, God in the flesh.

At the very center of the debate are his teachings.

As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

So, what Old Testament promises does Christ fulfill and how?

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He fulfills the Law. In Mark’s Gospel, a scribe approaches Jesus and asks, “Which is the greatest of all the Commandments?” 

To which Christ responds, “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, body, and soul.” The scribe affirms his response. Then the Lord adds, “And your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus puts these two commandments into full practice as he dies obediently on a cross, asking his Father to forgive his neighbors, “for they know not what they do.”

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Secondly, Jesus fulfills nearly three hundred prophecies from the Old Testament, including prophecies about where the Messiah will be born; the miracles he will perform; how he will suffer; even the mode in which he will die.

As the prophet Isaiah foretells, “He comes to save you. The eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened. The lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute sing for joy.”

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Finally, the Lord fulfills God’s great promise that his people shall inherit the “land.” Pope Benedict said in so many words, “Wherever the will of God is done, God’s kingdom – thus his land – is present.”

As the Lord himself teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

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Whereas some may see a separation between the Old and New Testaments, Christians see Christ as the foundation – not only to make sense of either, but also the hinge on which both depend.

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Image credits: (1) Gutenberg Bible, Wikipedia (2) The BLB blog, Blue Letter Bible (3) Christ, Pantocrator, Sinai