Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 323
Lectionary: 323
An informant came to David with
the report,
“The children of Israel have transferred their loyalty to Absalom.”
At this, David said to all his servants
who were with him in Jerusalem:
“Up! Let us take flight, or none of us will escape from Absalom.
Leave quickly, lest he hurry and overtake us,
then visit disaster upon us and put the city to the sword.”
“The children of Israel have transferred their loyalty to Absalom.”
At this, David said to all his servants
who were with him in Jerusalem:
“Up! Let us take flight, or none of us will escape from Absalom.
Leave quickly, lest he hurry and overtake us,
then visit disaster upon us and put the city to the sword.”
As David went up the Mount of
Olives, he wept without ceasing.
His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot.
All those who were with him also had their heads covered
and were weeping as they went.
His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot.
All those who were with him also had their heads covered
and were weeping as they went.
As David was approaching Bahurim,
a man named Shimei, the son of Gera
of the same clan as Saul’s family,
was coming out of the place, cursing as he came.
He threw stones at David and at all the king’s officers,
even though all the soldiers, including the royal guard,
were on David’s right and on his left.
Shimei was saying as he cursed:
“Away, away, you murderous and wicked man!
The LORD has requited you for all the bloodshed in the family of Saul,
in whose stead you became king,
and the LORD has given over the kingdom to your son Absalom.
And now you suffer ruin because you are a murderer.”
Abishai, son of Zeruiah, said to the king:
“Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?
Let me go over, please, and lop off his head.”
But the king replied: “What business is it of mine or of yours,
sons of Zeruiah, that he curses?
Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David;
who then will dare to say, ‘Why are you doing this?’”
Then the king said to Abishai and to all his servants:
“If my own son, who came forth from my loins, is seeking my life,
how much more might this Benjaminite do so?
Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to.
Perhaps the LORD will look upon my affliction
and make it up to me with benefits
for the curses he is uttering this day.”
David and his men continued on the road,
while Shimei kept abreast of them on the hillside,
all the while cursing and throwing stones and dirt as he went.
a man named Shimei, the son of Gera
of the same clan as Saul’s family,
was coming out of the place, cursing as he came.
He threw stones at David and at all the king’s officers,
even though all the soldiers, including the royal guard,
were on David’s right and on his left.
Shimei was saying as he cursed:
“Away, away, you murderous and wicked man!
The LORD has requited you for all the bloodshed in the family of Saul,
in whose stead you became king,
and the LORD has given over the kingdom to your son Absalom.
And now you suffer ruin because you are a murderer.”
Abishai, son of Zeruiah, said to the king:
“Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?
Let me go over, please, and lop off his head.”
But the king replied: “What business is it of mine or of yours,
sons of Zeruiah, that he curses?
Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David;
who then will dare to say, ‘Why are you doing this?’”
Then the king said to Abishai and to all his servants:
“If my own son, who came forth from my loins, is seeking my life,
how much more might this Benjaminite do so?
Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to.
Perhaps the LORD will look upon my affliction
and make it up to me with benefits
for the curses he is uttering this day.”
David and his men continued on the road,
while Shimei kept abreast of them on the hillside,
all the while cursing and throwing stones and dirt as he went.
Responsorial3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (8a) Lord, rise up and save
me.
O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
R. Lord, rise up and save me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
R. Lord, rise up and save me.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
R. Lord, rise up and save me.
O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
R. Lord, rise up and save me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
R. Lord, rise up and save me.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
R. Lord, rise up and save me.
AlleluiaLK 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 5:1-20
Jesus and his disciples came to
the other side of the sea,
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat,
at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides
he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”
(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)
He asked him, “What is your name?”
He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”
And he pleaded earnestly with him
not to drive them away from that territory.
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat,
at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides
he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”
(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)
He asked him, “What is your name?”
He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”
And he pleaded earnestly with him
not to drive them away from that territory.
Now a large herd of swine was
feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him,
“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,
where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,
“Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
And they pleaded with him,
“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,
where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,
“Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
For the readings of the Optional Memorial
of Saint Blase, please go here.
For the
readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Ansgar, please go here.
Meditation:
"Tell
them how much the Lord has done for you"
Do
you ever feel driven by forces beyond your strength? A man driven mad by the
evil force of a legion found refuge in the one person who could set him free.
A legion is no small force - but an army more than 5,000
strong! For the people in the time of Jesus' ministry, hemmed in by occupied
forces, a legion, whether spiritual or human, struck terror! Legions at their
wildest committed unmentionable atrocities.Our age has also witnessed untold
crimes and mass destruction at the hands of possessed rulers and their armies.
Jesus
has power to free us from every evil spirit of oppression
What is more remarkable - the destructive force of this driven and possessed man - or the bended knee at Jesus' feet imploring mercy and release? God's word reminds us that no destructive force can keep anyone from the peace and safety which God offers to those who seek his help. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. ..Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation (Psalm 91:7,9).
What is more remarkable - the destructive force of this driven and possessed man - or the bended knee at Jesus' feet imploring mercy and release? God's word reminds us that no destructive force can keep anyone from the peace and safety which God offers to those who seek his help. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. ..Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation (Psalm 91:7,9).
Jesus
took pity on the man who was overtaken by a legion of evil spirits. The
destructive force of these demons is evident for all who can see as they flee
and destroy a herd of swine. After Jesus freed the demoniac the whole city came
out to meet him. No one had demonstrated such power and authority against the
forces of Satan as Jesus did. They feared Jesus as a result and begged him to
leave them. Why would they not want Jesus to stay? Perhaps the price for such
liberation from the power of evil and sin was more than they wanted to pay.
Jesus is ready and willing to free us from anything that binds us and that
keeps us from the love of God. Are you willing to part with anything that might
keep you from his love and healing power?
"Lord
Jesus, unbind me that I may love you wholly and walk in the freedom of your way
of life and holiness. May there be nothing which keeps me from the joy of
living in your presence."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The God-Man beheld, by
Gregory of Nazianzus (330 - 390 AD)
"Yes,
he is recognized by demons (Luke 4:33-34, Mark 1:23-24), drives out
demons (Matthew 8:16, Mark 1:34), drowns deep a legion of spirits (Matthew
8:32; Mark 5:9,13; Luke 8:30,33) and sees the prince of demons falling
like lightning (Luke 10:18). He is stoned, yet not hit (John 8:59;
10:31,39); he prays yet he hears prayer (Matthew 8:13; Mark 1:35). He
weeps (John 11:35), yet he puts an end to weeping (Luke 7:13; 8:522;
23:28). He asks where Lazarus is (John 11:34) - he was man; yet he
raises Lazarus (John 11:43-44) - he was God." (excerpt
from ORATION 29, ON THE SON 20)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, MARK 5:1-20
Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; Psalm 3)
Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; Psalm 3)
KEY VERSE: "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you" (v 19).
TO KNOW: Jesus demonstrated the power of his word by calming the stormy sea with a simple command (Mk 4: 35-41). In the expulsion of the "unclean spirit," Jesus again showed the power of his word. In the pagan territory of the Gerasa ("Gadera" in Mt 8:28), Jesus encountered a man who was troubled in body and spirit. The demons showed their power by the superhuman strength of the man they possessed. They recognized Jesus as their enemy, and they tried to overpower him by invoking the divine name. Jesus was more powerful than the demons, and, with a word, he commanded the evil spirits to depart from the man. Jesus then sent the "legions" of demons (a pun on the Roman military) into a herd of swine, which were regarded as unclean by the Jews. The animals threw themselves into the turbulent sea. The people were seized with fear at this display of power, and they begged Jesus to leave the territory. In contrast, the healed man pleaded to be a disciple. Although Jesus usually restrained people from revealing his miraculous cures, he sent the man home to bear witness to his family.
TO LOVE: Have I witnessed to my family of God's mercy toward me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, remove any evil that has power over my life.
Optional Memorial of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr
St. Blaise was born in Sebaste, Armenia, and became a physician. His virtues won for him the esteem of both the clergy and people to such a degree, that he was elected bishop of his native city. From then on, Blaise zealously gave of himself to all of his faithful. When the governor of Cappadocia came to Sebaste to persecute Christians, Blaise was arrested, and they tried to get him to recant his faith. While in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed fellow prisoners, including saving a child who was choking on a fish bone, which led to the blessing of throats on Blaise's feast day. Blaise was beheaded, suffering death for the faith on February 3, 316 Saint Blaise has been extremely popular for centuries in both the Eastern and Western Churches.
Optional Memorial of Saint Ansgar, bishop
Ansgar, the "apostle of the north" (Scandinavia) became a Benedictine at Corbie, France, where he had been educated. Ansgar went Denmark for three years of missionary work. When Sweden asked for Christian missionaries, he went there, suffering hardships on the way. Less than two years later he was recalled to become abbot of New Corbie and bishop of Hamburg, Germany. After thirteen years' of work in Hamburg, Ansgar saw it burned to the ground by invading Northmen, and Sweden and Denmark returned to paganism. Ansgar's biographers remark that he was an extraordinary preacher, a humble and ascetical priest, devoted to the poor and the sick. He died peacefully at Bremen, Germany, without achieving his wish to be a martyr.
Monday 3 February 2020
St Ansgar
2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30, 16:5-13. Psalm 3:2-8. Mark 5:1-20.
Lord, rise up and save me – Psalm 3:2-8
‘They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind.’
2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30, 16:5-13. Psalm 3:2-8. Mark 5:1-20.
Lord, rise up and save me – Psalm 3:2-8
‘They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind.’
We all experience prisons of mind and body which confine us,
which limit our lives. It may be environmental, to do with a personal or work
situation in which we have lost our sense of agency. It may be a particular
thought pattern, mood disorder, mental anguish or traumatic memory which brings
us pain. It may be a personal habit or practice which does not give us life. It
may be a one-sided relationship, the other person ‘holding us hostage’, leaving
us burdened. It may be an old pattern of how we see a part of our experience –
and we are left going through the motions.
In today’s Gospel, ‘the healing of a demoniac’, the man had been
in great danger, distress and pain. Jesus frees this man, transforming his
situation, and he goes off to tell everyone how much Jesus has done for him.
There’s hope for us all.
Saint Blaise
Saint of the Day for February 3
(d. c. 316)
 |
| Orta – Basilica San Giulio, Piedmont | Detail of a fresco showing Saint Catherine of Alexandria surrounded by Saints Sebastian, Rochus, James the Greater and Blaise | photo by Wolfgang Sauber |
Saint Blaise’s Story
We know more about the devotion to Saint Blaise by
Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself. His feast is
observed as a holy day in some Eastern Churches. In 1222, the Council of Oxford
prohibited servile labor in England on Blaise’s feast day. The Germans and
Slavs hold him in special honor, and for decades many United States Catholics
have sought the annual Saint Blaise blessing for their throats.
We know that Bishop Blaise was martyred in his episcopal city of
Sebastea, Armenia, in 316. The legendary Acts of St. Blaise were
written 400 years later. According to them Blaise was a good bishop, working
hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. Although the
Edict of Toleration (311), granting freedom of worship in the Roman Empire, was
already five years old, persecution still raged in Armenia. Blaise was
apparently forced to flee to the back country. There he lived as a hermit in
solitude and prayer, but he made friends with the wild animals. One day a group
of hunters seeking wild animals for the amphitheater stumbled upon Blaise’s
cave. They were first surprised and then frightened. The bishop was kneeling in
prayer surrounded by patiently waiting wolves, lions and bears.
The legend has it that as the hunters hauled Blaise off to
prison, a mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his
throat. At Blaise’s command the child was able to cough up the bone.
Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia, tried to persuade Blaise to
sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused, he was beaten. The
next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or
rakes. Finally, he was beheaded.
Reflection
Four centuries give ample opportunity for fiction to creep in
with fact. Who can be sure how accurate Blaise’s biographer was? But
biographical details are not essential. Blaise is seen as one more example of the
power those have who give themselves entirely to Jesus. As Jesus told his
apostles at the Last Supper, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). With faith
we can follow the lead of the Church in asking for Blaise’s protection.
Saint Blaise is the Patron Saint of:
Throat Ailments
English Wool Combers
English Wool Combers
Lectio Divina: Mark 5:1-20
Lectio Divina
Monday, February 3, 2020
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord our God,
help us to love You with all our hearts
and to love all people as You love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.
help us to love You with all our hearts
and to love all people as You love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 5: 1-20
Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to
the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from
the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among
the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact,
he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been
pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to
subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always
crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a
distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud
voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I
adjure you by God, do not torment me!" (He had been saying to him,
"Unclean spirit, come out of the man!") He asked him, "What is
your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of
us." And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that
territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And
they pleaded with him, "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them."
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The
herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they
were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and
throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As
they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by
Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with
fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to
the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their
district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed
pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him
instead, "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in
his pity has done for you." Then the man went off and began to proclaim in
the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, we meditate on a long text on the expulsion
of a devil which was called Legion which oppressed and
tortured a person. Today there are many people who use the texts of the Gospel
which speak of the expulsion of the devils or impure spirits in order to
frighten others. This is a sin! Mark does the opposite. As we will see, he
associates the action of power of evil to four things: a) With the cemetery, the
place of the dead. Death which kills life! b) With the pork which
was considered an unclean animal. The impurity which separates from God. c)
With the sea, which was considered a symbol of the chaos which
existed before creation, and a chaos which destroys nature . d) With the
word Legion, a name given to the army of the Roman Empire -
the empire which oppressed and exploited people. Jesus overcomes the power of
evil in these four points. The victory of Jesus had a very great outreach for
the community of the years 70’s, the time in which Mark wrote his Gospel. These
communities lived under persecution by the Roman Legions, with an
ideology which manipulated the popular beliefs concerning the devils in order
to frighten people and to obtain their submission.
• The power of evil oppresses, ill-treats and alienates people. The initial verses describe the situation of the people before the arrival of Jesus. In the way of describing the behavior of the possessed person, Mark associates the power of evil to the cemetery and to death. It is a power without any purpose, threatening, without control, and destructive, which makes everybody afraid. It deprives the person of conscience, of self control, and of autonomy.
• In the presence of Jesus the power of evil disintegrates itself and breaks into fragments. In his description of the first contact between Jesus and the possessed man, Mark stresses the total lack of proportion that exists! The power, which at the beginning seemed to be very strong, melts and is broken. It is fragmented before Jesus. The man falls on his knees, asks not to be expelled from that district and finally says its name is Legion. With this name, Mark associates the power of evil with the political and military power of the Roman Empire which dominated the world through its Legions.
• The power of evil is impure and has neither autonomy nor consistency. The devil has no power in its movements. He only manages to enter into the pigs with the permission of Jesus! Once he had entered into the pigs, they charged down the cliff into the sea. There were 2000! According to the people the pig was a symbol of impurity, the impurity which prevented the human being from entering into relationship with God and from feeling accepted by Him. The sea was the symbol of chaos which existed before creation and which, according to the belief of the time, threatened life. This episode of the pigs which threw themselves into the sea is strange and difficult to understand, but the message is sufficiently clear: before Jesus the power of evil has no autonomy nor consistency. The one who believes in Jesus has already overcome the power of evil and should not be afraid, should have no fear!
• The reaction of the local people. On the advice of the herdsmen who took care of the pigs, the people of the place ran to see the man who had been liberated from the power of evil, now “in his full senses”. But the Legion had entered the pigs! And for this reason they ask Jesus to leave. For them, in fact, the pigs were more important than the human person who had just returned to his normal self. Those pigs also had a large economic value to the local people. The same thing happens today: we often give very little importance to people. It frightens people to be given the choice to give up wealth for the peace of Christ.
• To announce the Good News means to announce “what the Lord has done for you!” The man who was liberated wanted to “follow Jesus,” but Jesus tells him, “Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in His mercy has done for you.” Mark addressed this phrase of Jesus to the communities and to all of us. For the majority of us “to follow Jesus” means, “Go to your house, to your people, and announce to them what the Lord has done for you!”
• The power of evil oppresses, ill-treats and alienates people. The initial verses describe the situation of the people before the arrival of Jesus. In the way of describing the behavior of the possessed person, Mark associates the power of evil to the cemetery and to death. It is a power without any purpose, threatening, without control, and destructive, which makes everybody afraid. It deprives the person of conscience, of self control, and of autonomy.
• In the presence of Jesus the power of evil disintegrates itself and breaks into fragments. In his description of the first contact between Jesus and the possessed man, Mark stresses the total lack of proportion that exists! The power, which at the beginning seemed to be very strong, melts and is broken. It is fragmented before Jesus. The man falls on his knees, asks not to be expelled from that district and finally says its name is Legion. With this name, Mark associates the power of evil with the political and military power of the Roman Empire which dominated the world through its Legions.
• The power of evil is impure and has neither autonomy nor consistency. The devil has no power in its movements. He only manages to enter into the pigs with the permission of Jesus! Once he had entered into the pigs, they charged down the cliff into the sea. There were 2000! According to the people the pig was a symbol of impurity, the impurity which prevented the human being from entering into relationship with God and from feeling accepted by Him. The sea was the symbol of chaos which existed before creation and which, according to the belief of the time, threatened life. This episode of the pigs which threw themselves into the sea is strange and difficult to understand, but the message is sufficiently clear: before Jesus the power of evil has no autonomy nor consistency. The one who believes in Jesus has already overcome the power of evil and should not be afraid, should have no fear!
• The reaction of the local people. On the advice of the herdsmen who took care of the pigs, the people of the place ran to see the man who had been liberated from the power of evil, now “in his full senses”. But the Legion had entered the pigs! And for this reason they ask Jesus to leave. For them, in fact, the pigs were more important than the human person who had just returned to his normal self. Those pigs also had a large economic value to the local people. The same thing happens today: we often give very little importance to people. It frightens people to be given the choice to give up wealth for the peace of Christ.
• To announce the Good News means to announce “what the Lord has done for you!” The man who was liberated wanted to “follow Jesus,” but Jesus tells him, “Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in His mercy has done for you.” Mark addressed this phrase of Jesus to the communities and to all of us. For the majority of us “to follow Jesus” means, “Go to your house, to your people, and announce to them what the Lord has done for you!”
4) Personal questions
• Which point of this text pleased or struck you the most? Why?
• The man who was cured wanted to follow Jesus. But he should remain at home and tell everybody what Jesus has done for him. What has Jesus done for you? Do you want to share this with others?
• The man who was cured wanted to follow Jesus. But he should remain at home and tell everybody what Jesus has done for him. What has Jesus done for you? Do you want to share this with others?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh, what quantities of good things
You have in store for those who fear You,
and bestow on those who make You their refuge,
for all humanity to see. (Ps 31:19)
You have in store for those who fear You,
and bestow on those who make You their refuge,
for all humanity to see. (Ps 31:19)
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