Jesus Heals a Paralytic
Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus could easily see that the paralytic brought to him lying on his bed, was brought to him by his friends, with full confidence and faith. Jesus makes him whole (forgiveness of his sins), but also Heals him. Jesus pronounces the forgiveness of his sins by saying, “Take heart, my son; your […]
Jesus Heals the Gadarenes Possessed
Matthew 8:28-34 This reading is part of Matthew Chapter 8. It follows Chapter 5-7 which covers the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount has shown Jesus as the New Moses, and now in Chapter 8 is showing his readers that he is much more than Moses, that Jesus’ roots […]
Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
Matthew 16:13-19 Who do we say Jesus is? Oh some holy man, someone who had a great treasure chest of wisdom, maybe a conman, someone irrelevant today. But only the one who has tried him will know truly, all other statements are opinions from the side line. Some say that Peter was inspired by […]
Would-Be Followers of Jesus
Matthew 8:18-22 Jesus very well knew what was in the heart of his disciples. Therefore, when he chose the apostles he had in mind what was going on in the disciples mind. It was not that the other disciples did not have to leave behind their work, family, parents, and all possessions, but only […]
A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed
Mark 5:21-43 The Gospel narrative begins with Jesus again in Jewish territory and surrounded by crowds. A synagogue leader named Jairus arrives and surprisingly falls at the feet of Jesus; this is startling since the last time Jesus appeared in a synagogue the narrative ended with a plan to kill him (3:6), even though his […]
The Healing Ministry of Jesus
Matthew 8:5-17 In this passage we see Jesus’ empathy for his people. He understands the need of the Centurion, and does not allow social class, thought or differences from becoming a tripping point. When he enters Peter’s house, he sees a need and extends his hand to heal Peter’s Mother-in-Law. Jesus later in the […]
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
Matthew 8:1-4 In his 3 years of public ministry, Jesus went about healing the deaf, dumb, blind, crippled and even the lepers. Leprosy was a dreaded disease and associated with the state of sinfulness, like a curse. The infected person would go through a lot of humiliation and was shunned by society. But the […]
Solemnity of The Birth of John the Baptist
Luke 1:57-66, 80 God had already named the child, John. The birth story of John the Baptist is an act of Gods Grace, an occasion of great rejoicing, hope, and an indication of Messianic Joy. In todays reading we see words like great mercy, all marvelled, rejoiced, blessing, Gods fear, hand of the Lord, […]
A Tree and Its Fruit
Matthew 15-20 There are 3 mentions besides this, which I can recollect about trees in the Gospels The Mustard Tree The Fig Tree The Parable of the Owner and the Gardener The message of the Mustard Tree parable is that we are all invited to trust in God, first in little ways, which results […]
Jesus The Wisdom Of All Ages
Matthew 7:6, 12-14 The Old Testament can be divided into The Law/The Pentateuch, History, Prophets and the newer Wisdom Tradition. Wisdom Understanding is related with God and how he works, and how one can avail of His understanding. The understanding and rise of the Wisdom Tradition in the Old Testament is gradual. This traditions […]