Today’s Sunday Gospel Reading is Mark 1:40-45

Jesus heals a leper with a compassionate touch, telling the him that He does in fact “will” the his healing, that he’d be made whole. We are all called to some kind of healing, and while not all will experience a physical healing, Jesus seeks to make us whole!

Ordinarily we’d be celebrating our Lady of Lourdes today. A common theme, every year thousands upon thousands of people pilgrim to Lourdes to experience physical, spiritual, or emotional healing. In Lourdes you see the same Jesus reaching out to touch us and saying “I want to heal you”

Let us pray for our sick brothers and sisters today, that through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, they would experience the healing power of God.

The Gospel reading from Catholic Mass today is Mark 7:31-37

Today’s Gospel illustrates the importance of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Jesus performs physical acts. He prays over the man he heals, He puts his finger in the man’s ear, he says “Ephphatha”, which means “be opened” and the man receives the gift of hearing and speech.

The deaf man represents all of us. How often are we incapable of hearing the Word of God? How often are we unable to speak the truths of the Gospel? Christ groans in prayer that we too would “be opened” and thus His witness to the entire world.

Let us pray for the capacity to hear the Word of God and spread the Word of God.

The Gospel Reading from Catholic Mass today is Mark 7: 24-30

Jesus encounters the Syrophoenician woman. She comes asking Jesus for something and at first Jesus does something surprising… nothing.

Why would Jesus ignore this woman? Jesus ignores her so that she will come even closer to Him, so that her desire for Him would grow. Jesus engages her in conversation: “what is that you really desire, what is that you really want?”.

Ultimately, this woman is motivated by faith, and because of her persistence Jesus reveals the universality of the call to Salvation. He hasn’t come to save only the Chosen People, but to save all through the Chosen People.

Let us pray today that we would have the same confidence and faith of the Syrophoenician Woman.

Mark 7:1-13

This is a tough Gospel if we’re being honest. It’s difficult because Jesus is criticized for his disciples not observing every the law. Then, Jesus points out that the pharisees aren’t following the law as they should be. Namely, they’re finding loopholes.

Is finding loopholes the right spiritual disposition we should have? Are we selective about which commandments we follow? Do we find for ways to excuse ourselves? Or do we allow our “yes” to be “yes” and our “no” to be “no”?

Let us pray for the grace to follow the whole of the Law of the Gospel.

Today's Gospel Reading is Mark 6:53-56

The people are immediately looking for people that they can bring to Jesus to heal. They "scurried about" the surrounding country looking for people!

This should be taken as a sign of the evangelical zeal, the sense of urgency, that should be embedded within our desire to share the Gospel. To be evangelical means to have a sense of urgency in sharing the Gospel! So that all can have a living and personal relationship with God!

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Today's Gospel reading is Mark 1:29-39

Jesus takes care of all those people who come to Him, but He also takes the time to go off on His own to pray because He too is restored by His relationship with His Heavenly Father. 

Nonetheless, when the disciples find Him to inform Him that "everyone" is looking for Him Jesus decides to go to them as well. This is something we Christians need to remember, "everyone" is indeed looking for Jesus, even those lost in sin. 

Let this serve as a reminder. Lent is coming up, a time for God to purify us in our hearts. Let us pray that this Lent, we'll have the courage to go to those searching for Christ, so we can bring His light into their lives. 

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Today's Gospel Reading is Luke 2:22-40

Jesus is raised in a family and home that fulfills the Law. Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of the prophets and the Law. Even more than this, Jesus is the reason that the Law even exists, namely, to bring us into right relationship with God.

We need the law because we live in a sinful world and the law helps us to understand how to properly live. In other words, the law lights the way because the Gospel is the roadmap. 

Today's Gospel is Mark 6:7-13

Jesus instructs the apostles to go out two by two saying

"Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.

Christians are called to preach repentance, to bring forgiveness, to bring mercy, because Christ has instructed them too. Sometimes, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be met with great success. Other times, by the providence of God, they will not, and there they "shake the dust off their feet" in testimony. Either way we must increase our evangelical zeal! 

Praised be Jesus Christ! 

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