MARK

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Mark 14:1-15:47 A. Text/Context • We have just heard a very long gospel about the passion or suffering of our Lord • During the 1st part of the liturgy which is the blessing of the palms we commemorate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem • Jesus was mobbed by the people glorifying him yelling: Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest • The 1st part of the gospel is the praise […]

2nd Sunday of Lent Transfiguration Genesis 22:1-2, 9:10-13, 15-18 Romans 8:31-34 Mark 9:2-10 Text/Context The gospel today describes us of the transfiguration of Jesus when the whole countenance of the Lord became so beautiful and radiant and dazzling in white Then a cloud came down and there was a voice: This is my beloved Son listen to him. And then together with the transfigured Jesus, Moses and Elijah were also there Only three of the 12 disciples were there: Peter, James and John to witness the spectacular event This is very significant and symbolic because Moses represents the law and […]

1st Sunday of Lent Genesis 9:8-15 1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:12-15 February 18, 2024 A. Text/Context In the 1st part of the gospel Mark has narrated that the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert where he remained there for forty days and where he was tempted by Satan So it was the Spirit who brought Jesus into the desert and this is some kind of a mystery because this is the same Spirit in the form of a dove who descended upon Jesus during his baptism where the Spirit proclaims this is my beloved son Now it is an […]

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 Mark 1:40-45 A. Text/Context We have just heard yet another miracle that Jesus performed in the cleansing of a leper in the gospel today As of this time Jesus has already become very popular among the population; like a real celebrity, he is mobbed by people wherever he goes It was the leper who was cleansed by the disease who was responsible in broadcasting the miracle that occurred in spite of the stern warning that Jesus gave, not do so Jesus told the leper to show himself to the […]

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Job 7:1-4, 6-7 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 Mark 1:29-39 Text/Context As what we have heard in the gospel  just a few seconds back Jesus is again performing miracles of healing and exorcism upon seeing the pitiful situation of the people Mark describes the mother-in-law of Simon as laying sick and has a fever Jesus approached her and the fever left her and started serving them And for the whole day until evening, Jesus just witnessed how people have lived such a wretched lives because of the many diseases and sickness that he saw The whole […]

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Deuteronomy 18:15-20 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Mark 1:21-28 Text and Context The 1st reading in Deuteronomy tells us of Moses making a prophecy that a prophet will be raised from among the Israelites This prophecy is now fulfilled in the gospel where the people inside the synagogue are so astonished by the words of Jesus speaking with such authority Jesus is now the prophet who is now in their midst in flesh and blood. The authority of Jesus comes from God So as mentioned in the gospel when the people heard Jesus speaking in the synagogue […]

Feast of Sto. Niño Isaiah 9:1-6 Ephesians 1:3-6.15-18 Mark 10:13-16 Text/Context What is happening in the gospel today is that many children were brought to Jesus that he might touch them And the disciples tried to stop the children from going near to Jesus. And as the evangelist Mark tells us that people were bringing the children to Jesus so that he might touch them It was not even the wish of the children to go near Jesus. It was the parents who brought their children to Jesus probably to be healed of their sickness or simply just to be […]

2nd Sunday of Advent Year B Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 2 Peter 3:8-14 Mark 1:1-8 Text and Context The gospel today speaks of a fulfillment of a prophecy by the prophet Isaiah saying “Prepare the way of the Lord make straight his paths” John seems to suddenly just appear in the scene from out of nowhere and wearing some kind of a weird clothing made out of the hair of a camel even eating locusts and honey for food. So we need to go back a little of his background why is this so In the religion of the Jews there […]

1st Sunday of Advent Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:33-37 Text/Context In order to understand the celebration of the Advent season we need to present a little background of the meaning of the word Advent Advent – Latin word is adventus meaning arrival or coming And the advent season is divided into 2: the 1st part of advent is from today the 1st Sunday of Advent until December 16 It is the celebration of the waiting for the arrival of the 2nd coming of our Lord The prophet Isaiah in the 1st reading prays in ardent supplication […]