JESUS Sends Out The Twelve

"JESUS then went around the villages, teaching.  HE called the Twelve to HIM, and began to send out two by two, giving them authority over evil spirits.  And HE ordered them to take nothing for the journey, except a staff: no food, no bag, no money in their belts.  They were to wear sandals and were not to take an extra tunic.

And HE added, 'In whatever house you are welcomed, stay there until you leave the place.  If any place doesn't receive you, and the people refuse to listen to you, leave after shaking the dust off your feet.  It will be a testimony against them.'

So they set out to proclaim that this was the time to repent.  They drove out many demons and healed many sick people by anointing them." - Mark 6:7-13 

(JESUS begins a third stage of HIS ministry by organizing a mission throughout the province.  Before, the apostles accompanied JESUS but now HE sends them ahead of HIM.

JESUS is an educator.  HE not only teaches HIS followers, HE has them share in HIS mission.  HIS apostles must also proclaim their faith and perform healings as the Master does.  By doing this, they put into practice what they have discovered of the kingdom of GOD.  The disciples should be first to believe what they themselves proclaim: GOD makes HIMSELF present.  Because of this, they must live day by day, trusting in the FATHER's Providence, not frightened but always conscious of GOD's mission and power.

Oil was used at the time as a remedy, but JESUS gives it a new meaning: the healings bring more than just well-being, they are also the sign of spiritual healing, the reconciliation of people with GOD.

JESUS concern to form communities of believers is already present.  HE sends HIS disciples out two by two so that the message will not be from one person only, but the expression of a group united in one mission.  JESUS tells them to stay under one roof with one family so that this may be a center radiating faith.)   

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Is HE Not The Carpenter?

"Leaving that place, JESUS returned to HIS own country, and HIS disciples followed HIM.  When the Sabbath came, HE began teaching in the synagogue, and most of those who heard HIM were astonished.  They commented, 'How did this come to HIM?  What kind of wisdom has been given to HIM that HE also performs such miracles?  Who is HE but the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joset and Judas and Simon?  HIS sisters, too, are they not here among us?  So they took offense at HIM.

And JESUS said to them, 'Prophets are despised only in their own country, among their relatives and in their own family.'  And HE could work no miracles there, but only healed a few sick people by laying HIS hands on them.'  JESUS HIMSELF was astounded of their unbelief." - Mark 6:1-6  

(The brothers and sisters of JESUS are HIS relatives and acquaintances of Nazareth.

How did this come to HIM?  Does this mean that JESUS traveled to other countries in order to get magic powers?

Because HE always lived among them and never did anything extraordinary, they were astonished that, in such a short time, HE became famous throughout Galilee.  In fact they do not know HIM: most of the time people mistakenly believe they know their neighbors.

Prophets are despised only in their own country.  After living with HIM so long and treating HIM like anyone else, how could they suddenly show respect and have faith in HIM?

Who is HE but the carpenter?  The term the Gospel uses is craftsman.  There is no further specification.  Yet the first Christians of Palestine asserted that JESUS was a carpenter.

What kind of wisdom has been given to HIM?  Many people say that because CHRIST was GOD, HE knew all things, but divine knowledge is nothing less than GOD HIMSELF.  HE knows all at once in an instant that never ends - this is eternity.  On the other hand, humans think in ideas, and do not embrace all at the same time.  That is why, from birth, JESUS had to learn from experience and discover.  Yet HE had a clear awareness that HE was the Son, although at the beginning HE did not have the words to think or express this.

JESUS received HIS human learning from Mary, Joseph, and HIS neighbors in Nazareth.  HE acquired HIS wisdom from the Bible and the culture of HIS people.  Yet the FATHER gave HIM HIS Spirit to judge as GOD does and to recognize GOD in all things.  For HIM [as for us now] what was important was not accumulating data and experiences but to be able to appreciate all that occurred.   JESUS inspired by the Spirit, felt all the realities of life in a different way: this was Wisdom.) 

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Popular Catholicism

"Among the crowd was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years.  She had suffered a lot at the hands of many doctors and had spent everything she had, but instead of getting better, she was worse.  Because she had heard about JESUS, this woman came up behind HIM and touched HIS cloak, thinking, 'If I just touch HIS clothing, I shall get well.'  Her flow of blood dried up at once, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her complaint.

But JESUS was conscious that healing power had gone out from HIM, so HE turned around in the crowd, and asked, 'Who touched MY clothes?'  HIS disciples answered, 'YOU see how the people are crowding around YOU.  Why do YOU ask who touched YOU?'  But HE kept looking around to see who had done it.  Then the woman, aware of what had happened, came forward, trembling and afraid.  She knelt before HIM and told HIM the whole truth.

Then JESUS said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has saved you.  Go in peace and be free of this illness.'" - Mark 5:25-34  

(This woman was considered by the Jews as unclean because of her illness [Leviticus 15:19].  She would also make "unclean" anyone who touched her.  Because of this, she was prohibited by the law from mingling with others but dared enter into the crowd, and touch JESUS' cloak.

Faith drove her to break the law of "purification," and to risk scandal.  This woman did not know who JESUS was, but had faith that GOD would cure her through HIM.

The religiosity of this woman is akin to what we call today "popular Catholicism."  As seen in this woman, popular Catholicism is ill-instructed yet shows a strong religious sense and trust in GOD.  It is superficial and naïve, expecting great results from touching images and religious things--CHRIST's garment in this case.  Like JESUS, we should respect the religious expressions of popular Catholicism while at the same time trying, like HIM, to help people discover deeper dimensions of their faith.)

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JESUS Is Presented In The Temple

"When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the baby up to Jerusalem to present HIM to the LORD, as it is written in the law of the LORD: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to GOD.  And they offered a sacrifice as ordered in the law of the LORD: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

There lived in Jerusalem, at this time, a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him.  He looked forward to the time when the LORD would comfort Israel; and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the LORD.  So, he was led into the temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child JESUS to do for HIM according to the custom of the law.  

Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed GOD, saying,

'Now, O LORD, YOU can dismiss YOUR servant in peace,

for YOU have fulfilled YOUR word

and my eyes have seen YOUR salvation,

which YOU display for all the people to see.

Here is the light YOU will reveal to the nations,

and the glory of YOUR people Israel.'

HIS father and mother wondered at what was said about the child.  Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, HIS mother, 'Know this: your Son is a sign; a sign established for trhe falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul so that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.'" - Luke 2:22-35   

(Mary and Joseph went to the temple to fulfill a ritual of the Jewish religion [Leviticus 12:8].  JESUS being a firstborn male must be consecrated to GOD [Exodus 13:1].

Simeon and Ana like Mary and Joseph belong to the "small remnant of Israel."  This minority of GOD's people live their faith in humility and faithfulness to the prophets' teaching: GOD knows how to make HIMSELF known to them.

What is the meaning of the sword that will pierce Mary's soul?  It indicates Mary's grief upon seeing her Son die on the cross.  It also signifies that Mary will suffer because she will not always understand what her Son does.  The best shared love will not prevent each from remaining a mystery to the other, and more so for GOD than for anyone else.  GOD does not watch our fidelity from heaven, but rather seeks us [HE tries us in the sense of asking us to reveal ourselves].  The love of the FATHER will be Mary's cross just as it would be for JESUS.

CHRIST is GOD's light which enlightens people, but which also blinds and confuses them at times.  HE is a sign that is opposed, but this is a mystery--those who oppose HIM are not always the worst.  There are some people who believe in CHRIST, but do not follow HIM.  Unable to see HIS light they do not know that it condemns them.  There are good people who do not believe because GOD wills that they seek the light their whole life long.)

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The Beatitudes

"Coming down the hill with them, JESUS stood on a level place.  Many of HIS disciples were there and a large crowd of people who had come from all parts of Judea and Jerusalem and from the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon.  They gathered to hear HIM and be healed of their diseases; likewise people troubled by evil spirits were healed.  The entire crowd tried to touch HIM because of the power that went out from HIM and healed them all.

 Then looking at HIS disciples, JESUS said,

'Fortunate are you who are poor, the kingdom of GOD is yours.' 

Fortunate are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. 

Fortunate are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 

Fortunate are you when people hate you, when they reject you and insult you and number you among criminals, because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven.  Remember that is how the ancestors of this people treated the prophets. 

But alas for you who have wealth, for you have been comforted now. 

Alas for you who are full, for you will go hungry. 

Alas for you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 

Alas for you when people speak well of you, for that is how the ancestors of these people treated the false prophets." - Luke 6:17-26   

(Matthew adapts them for the members of the church of his time.  Luke, on the other hand, puts the beatitudes here just as JESUS proclaimed them to the people of Galilee.  In the words of JESUS, the beatitudes were a call and a hope addressed to the forgotten of the world, beginning with the poor among HIS people, heirs of GOD's promise to the prophets.)

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JESUS Calms The Storm

"On that same day, when evening had come, JESUS said to them, 'Let's go across to the other side of the lake.'  So they left the crowd, and took HIM along in the boat HE had been sitting in, and other boats set out with HIM.  Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale.  The waves spilled over into the boat, so that it was soon filled with water.  JESUS was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

They woke HIM up, and said, 'Master, don't YOU care if we drown?'  And rising up, JESUS rebuked the wind, and ordered the sea, 'Quiet now!  Be still!'  The wind dropped, and there was a great calm.  Then JESUS said to them, 'Why are you so frightened?  Do you still have no faith?'

But they were terrified, and they said to one another, 'Who can this be?  Even the wind and the sea obey HIM!'" - Mark 4:35-41  

(In Jewish mentality the sea is a daily reminder of primitive chaos, it is there the marine monsters move around, monsters which only GOD, for HE is the all-powerful, can challenge Leviathan and Rahab.  In commanding the sea: Quiet now!  Be still!  Just as HE does with the demons [Mark 1:25] JESUS affirms HIS divine power over the forces of evil.

Confronted with all the forms of evil that attack them, in the midst of tempests that arise, people, at times, wonder if GOD "does not sleep."  JESUS is there.  HE is not surprised by the disciples' fear of the tempest, but of their lack of faith; only trust in the victory of JESUS, Son of GOD, over the forces of evil, will allow them to overcome this fear.

At the very instant when they discover this divine power in JESUS, the apostles are terrified, as was Moses at the burning bush [Exodus 3:1], and Isaiah at the time of his vision in the temple [Isaiah 6:5], as all those to whom GOD shows HIMSELF in a special way: more than a friend, more than a master, JESUS revealed HIMSELF to them in the truth of HIS being.  This fear in discovering GOD so close to them was greater than the fear they had felt during the tempest a few moments earlier.)

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The Seed Growing By Itself

"JESUS also said, 'In the kingdom of GOD it is like this.  A man scatters seed upon the soil.  Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how.  The soil produces of itself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.  And when it is ripe for harvesting, they take the sickle for the cutting: the time for harvest has come'." - Mark 4:26-29  

(In every period of time, people become impatient.  When will the kingdom of justice be realized?  Will violence and corruption soon come to an end?  JESUS answers: invisible forces are already at work; the world matures and the Kingdom grows on.

How many seeds are cast to the wind?  A new style, a new song, a new device, a radio program.  Some seeds have grown and taken root, producing fruits that mobilize people.  Let us recognize the humble beginnings of the work of GOD: good, willed people meeting together to solve a community problem; a gesture of kindness in a closed, unfriendly environment; a first attempt to smile at life after a great disappointment.  The seed grows, and the person who has welcomed the word walks more confidently on the path where GOD leads.) 

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Parable Of The Lamp

"JESUS also said to them, 'When the light comes, is it to be put under a tub or a bed?  Surely it is put on a lampstand.  Whatever is hidden will be disclosed, and whatever is kept secret will be brought to light.  Listen then, if you have ears!' 

And HE also said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear.  In the measure you give, so shall you receive and still more will be given to you.  For to the one who produce something, more will be given, and from him who does not produce anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.'" - Mark 4:21-25 

 

(Listen then, if you have ears.  JESUS warns us, "You waste your time if you only listen to ME yet do not allow what you hear to bear fruit.  The measure that you measure out will be the measure you receive.  That is to say, if you begin to act according to what you have learned, you will receive from GOD new strength and new knowledge.  If you do nothing, even your religious beliefs will be of no value to you, not even when you present yourself before GOD.  You read MY Gospel, but now challenge yourselves before you follow any further."

Whatever is hidden.  The word works secretly within the heart but when we discover the transformation that is at work in our life, we readily proclaim CHRIST and make known to others the secret that has made us happy.)

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The Parable Of The Sower

"As a great crowd gathered and people came to HIM from every town, JESUS began teaching them through stories, or parables, 'The Sower went out to sow the seed.  And as he sowed, some of the grain fell along the way, was trodden on and the birds of the sky ate it up.  Some fell on rocky ground, and no sooner had it come up than it withered, because it had no water.  Some fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with the seed and choked it.  But some fell on good soil and grew, producing fruit - a hundred times as much.'  And JESUS cried out, 'Listen then, if you have ears to hear!' 

The disciples asked HIM, 'What does this story mean?'  And JESUS answered, 'You have been granted to know the mystery of the kingdom of GOD.  But to others it is given in the form of stories, or parables, so that seeing they may not perceive and hearing they may not understand.'

Now, this is the point of the parable:  The seed is the word of GOD.  Those along the wayside are people who hear it, but immediately the devil comes and takes the word from their minds, for he doesn't want them to believe and be saved.  Those on the rocky ground are people who receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe for a while and give way in time of trial.  Among the thorns are people who hear the word but as they go their way, are choked by worries, riches, and the pleasures of life; they bring no fruit to maturity.  The good soil, instead, are people who receive the word and keep it in a gentle and generous mind, and persevering patiently, they bear fruit." - Luke 8:4-15  

(The comparison [or parable] of the Sower helps us to understand what is happening around JESUS.  Many people became very enthusiastic at the beginning, then, after a while they left.  Only a few persevered and the apostles wondered:  How will the kingdom of GOD come if no one is interested?

 

The Gospel records JESUS' explanation about the fields on which the seed fell.  There was a lot more to explain.  First, HIS comparing the kingdom of GOD with something that is sown must have surprised the listeners.  Throughout Sacred History, there had been abundant sowing and JESUS' contemporaries were expecting a harvest.

We, like JESUS contemporaries, want to reap, that is to enjoy the fruits of the kingdom of GOD, namely, social peace, justice and happiness.  Many wonder how it is possible that people continue to be so evil two thousand years after CHRIST.

 

If the kingdom of GOD has come and it is already in our midst, that does not mean we are going to enjoy its fruits.  The kingdom of GOD is where GOD rules, and GOD rules where people accept HIM for what HE is, where HE can be FATHER and where HIS sons and daughters can accept HIS plan for them.

 

From that moment on, people grow in a thousand ways, and social consciousness also develops.  People become aware of their dignity and their common destiny, in spite of the fact that it seems more impossible every day to reach the goal.)

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JESUS' True Family

"Then HIS mother and HIS brothers came.  As they stood outside, they sent someone to call HIM.  The crowd sitting around JESUS told HIM, 'YOUR mother and YOUR brothers are outside asking for YOU.'  HE replied, 'Who are MY mother and MY brothers?'

And looking around at those who sat there, HE said, 'Here are MY mother and MY brothers.  Whoever does the will of GOD is brother and sister and mother to ME'." - Mark 3:31-35 

 

(JESUS lost HIS relatives but found HIS true brothers and sisters.  When we commit ourselves to GOD's work, we discover new brothers and sisters and a mother, Mary, of whom the Gospel says, "Happy are you for having believed that GOD's promises would be fulfilled."  JESUS does not say, "He is my father," for the FATHER is one and HE is in Heaven.)

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