Resistance against evil

Lk 4:31-37

In those days, Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because his word carried authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and he shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked it, saying, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the devil, throwing the man into the middle, went out of him without hurting him at all. Read More

The Lord in Nazareth

NOTE: We have added the previous verses to today’s Gospel to better understand the context.

Lk 4:16-30

He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written: The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring the good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord. Read More

THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE LORD

“Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O Lord,

and whom thou dost teach out of thy law” (Ps 94:12).

If we have entered into a friendship with our Father, we will not lack for instructions from Him, for our divine friend is at the same time our guide on the path of salvation. We could not expect the same from a human friend, and perhaps it would not even be appropriate. From our Heavenly Father, however, we receive this grace with certainty. Read More

GROW IN LOVE DAY BY DAY

“Man’s life must change for the better from day to day” (St. Augustine).

When we walk the spiritual path, each day becomes a challenge to grow in love, which, according to Saint Paul, is the greatest of all gifts (1 Cor 13:13). In his Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle to the Gentiles never tires of praising love in the most glorious terms, concluding with the exhortation: “Make love your aim” (1 Cor 14:1). Read More

Accountable to God

Mt 25:14-30

At that time Jesus told his disciples this parable: “For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property;  to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Read More

The folly of the cross

1 Cor 1:17-25

After all, Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the gospel; and not by means of wisdom of language, wise words which would make the cross of Christ pointless. The message of the cross is folly for those who are on the way to ruin, but for those of us who are on the road to salvation it is the power of God. As scripture says: I am going to destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of any who understand. Read More

Beheading of St John the Baptist

Mk 6:14-29

King Herod had heard about him, since by now his name was well known. Some were saying, ‘John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’ Others said, ‘He is Elijah,’ others again, ‘He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.’ But when Herod heard this he said, ‘It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.’ Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. For John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so, because Herod was in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and upright man, and gave him his protection.

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