Jesus makes his final stop before reaching Jerusalem, passing through the ancient town of Jericho. On his way out of town the cries of a blind man reach his ears, compelling him to stop. Our Lord's encounter with and subsequent healing of the blind man are full of Old Testament resonances. In our Gospel we see the fulfillment of many prophecies announcing the arrival of the Messiah, we find fascinating parallels between Joshua's entry into Jericho and our Gospel, and we discover a unique echo of David's encounter with the blind in this encounter of Bartimaeus with Christ on the road to Jerusalem. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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We leave Our Lord's words to speak for themselves in our podcast today, looking closer at the spiritual implication of his message rather than digging into scholarly insights on the text. The former exercise proves deeply important for our interior life, especially in periods of suffering. Understanding that the role James and John wish to possess is actually filled by two thieves leads us to recognize that heavenly success often masquerades as earthly failure and that even when we find it difficult to imagine fruits from our sufferings we can still hold fast to the conviction that heaven knows and honors our faithfulness. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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We hear two of Jesus' favorite words in our Gospel today: Follow me! Where in the past these words were met with tremendous faith by the apostles, today they are met with sadness and rejection. We're talking about the rich young man who's unfulfilled longings bring him to the feet of Jesus. Diagnosing his restlessness, Our Lord calls him to leave behind his possessions, a cure that proves too burdensome to be carried out. Exploring the spiritual theme of detachment as well as the theological idea of sloth we discover that each of us today are just as prone to abandoning Jesus as the rich young man was years ago. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Jesus travels to Judea where he is not always well received and is immediately confronted by Pharisees as regards his view on marriage and divorce. Referencing Deuteronomy, the Pharisees make the case that Moses allowed for divorce but Jesus moves earlier in the Biblical account to make his argument, citing two verses of Genesis. From Our Lord's words we glean a radical view of marriage, one that excludes divorce but that also affirms the image of the Trinity and the tremendous dignity of married love. In the end we find a God who is reckless in love and who desires that we be recklessly loving as well. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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The apostles encounter a man performing exorcisms in Jesus' name though they do not know who he is. When asked his opinion, Our Lord's response points us to the outpouring of the spirit of God in the Old Testament and the prophetic words of Moses who longs for all of God's people to perform miraculous works. Continuing on in our Gospel we hear Jesus speak intensely about "stumbling blocks." Exploring the original Greek as well as the Church's teaching we uncover the true meaning of scandal and its serious ramifications while ending with a discussion of freedom and the need for Christians to valiantly resist sin. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Jesus redefines greatness in His second prediction of the Passion. After His transfiguration, He pulls the Twelve aside to teach them an unexpected truth—true greatness comes through humility and the cross. Diving deep into our Gospel, we’ll explore the loaded Greek word "paradidomi," which reveals Jesus' active rather than passive choice to give Himself up. We’ll take a closer look at the first century background and symbolism of Our Lord’s gentle gesture towards children and we’ll uncover the dual meaning of one Aramaic word that reinforces our Gospel message. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Set against the historical backdrop of Caesarea Philippi, a location steeped in ancient ties to the Greek god Pan, our Gospel is grounded in real-world settings. In addition to the geography, we’ll examine the pivotal interaction between Jesus and Peter, a moment that transitions the Gospel of Mark from revealing Jesus's identity to uncovering his salvific destiny. Finally, examination of a single Greek word will reveal the unavoidable necessity of God's plan while offering solace that, even in suffering, God's purpose will prevail. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Having cleansed foods and thereby abolished many of the ritual purity laws that served to separate Jew and Gentile, Jesus intentionally travels into Gentile territory. He performs several miracles like the one recounted in our Gospel. Exploring the healing of the deaf man we discover an explicit link with the prophecies of Isaiah that allude to an ingathering of the Gentiles and mincing Jesus' words and actions we uncover both Sacramental and New Creation themes, themes that point back to the beginning of Genesis and that help us to recognize the many graces God showers upon us even now! Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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We head back into Mark in our Gospel today and into the thick of Pharisaic criticism. Jesus is asked why his disciples do not wash their hands before eating. To fully understand the Pharisees' charge we take a step back and explore the heart and history of the Pharisaic school of thought. What we find in the Pharisees are Jews zealous for the law of God but fixated on ancillary things, things that inevitably distort their judgment, corrupt their heart, and prevent them from seeing that which they've longed for most: the Messiah who's standing right in front of them. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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Provided with two sets of first readings, the Church beckons us to look both backward and forward to understand our Gospel and the feast of the Assumption at hand. Diving into Luke as well as our Old Testament first reading we see the evangelist draw clear parallels between David's reception of the Ark of the Covenant at Jerusalem and Elizabeth's reception of the new Ark just outside Jerusalem. Then looking forward to our reading from Revelation we realize that just as Mary went up to Jerusalem at the visitation God brings her up to the new Jerusalem once and for all at her glorious assumption. Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her

popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit

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