In today’s Gospel it seems like Jesus is having a bad day. Instead of welcoming this “outsider,” a Syrophoenician woman he callously replies, “…it is not right to take the food of the children and...
Unclean Woman?
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Friar Reflection
Unclean
What can defile a person or make them unclean? Jesus addresses this question in today’s Gospel. Jesus’ society, like our society, tended to classify people as insiders and outsiders. Whatever...
Conditions of the Heart
In a way this is a follow-on from yesterday’s reflection. The first reading again concerns itself with King Solomon. It is part of the dedication of the first Jerusalem Temple (a longer version of...
The Temple of the Lord
Did the first reading for today make you feel like you were dropped into the middle of a movie and you want to lean over to your friend and ask, “What’s going on?” The reading is from the 1st Book...
Presentation
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. As we hear in today’s Gospel Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus up to the Temple in Jerusalem “to present him to the Lord.” ...
Twelve Apostles
In today’s Gospel Jesus commissioned the Twelve to be “apostles.” The word “apostle” comes from the Greek word that means “to send.” So, as we hear in today’s Gospel, Jesus “summoned the Twelve...
Amazement
Today’s gospel is, in its own way, part of a thread in Mark’s gospel in which the nature of the family of God is slowly revealed. In Mark 3:7-12, Jesus is calling and appointing 12 as apostles, the...
Fear and Trust
In today’s gospel we encounter the well-known stories of the Daughter of Jairus and the hemorrhaging woman. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus is closely involved with women nine times. Today’s gospel...
Legion
In today’s Gospel we have a classic battle between good and evil, Jesus against an unclean spirit who calls himself “Legion…there are many of us.” This unclean spirit tries to do battle with Jesus,...
Anxiety and Trust
This week, in our second reading, Paul simply writes: “I should like you to be free of anxieties.” (1 Cor 7:32). Seriously, can I get an “Amen” to that? Wouldn’t that be awesome, to have a life...
A Mustard Seed
A tiny, tiny mustard seed…that is what the Kingdom of God is like! In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches us about the Kingdom of God. He uses two images to describe the Kingdom, a Sower and a mustard...
Conversion: Profound Change of Way
A deeply devout and highly educated in the Word of God and the religious traditions of Israel, Pablo dedicated his life to eliminating the Christian Way because it was initially seen as a heretical...