Give me just one more sign, just one more proof of God’s presence. In today’s Gospel some of the Pharisees are “seeking from Jesus a sign from heaven to test him.” While Jesus performed many healings, exorcisms, and extraordinary deeds it seems that people were...
In today’s Gospel we have this strange word “Ephphatha.” Mark helpfully translates this Aramaic word: “Be opened!” Aramaic was Jesus’ native language although he could also read the Scripture in Hebrew. All the Gospels were written in Greek but have a number of...
In today’s Gospel Jesus is in the Gentile territory of Tyre. He encounters a non-Jewish woman, “a Greek, a Syrophoenician woman.” She begs Jesus to heal her daughter who is possessed by a demon. Jesus first reaction is uncharacteristically off-putting: “Let the...
Today’s first reading describes the dedication of the First Temple in Jerusalem. This Temple was destroyed by the King of Babylon who also exiled the Jewish king and many of the political and religious leader to Babylon. After the return from the exile a Second...
In today’s Gospel Jesus sends out the Twelve to continue his mission. The Twelve were a select group of disciples. Jesus had previously chosen this group to preach and heal as we hear earlier in Mark’s Gospel: “Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he...
