Reflection for the Week

Jesus worked miracles but said that even the small kindness of giving a cup of cold water to a disciple of His will get rewarded. We can learn from children, wise beyond their years and schooling. Think of a toddler presenting a crayon scribble, saying “It’s for you,” and having no doubt that Grandma or Grandpa will love it. On the other hand, Pharisees made a big deal of Jesus allowing the Disciples to pick and eat heads of grain while walking along on a Sabbath. Burdens in our lives may seem unnecessarily heavy. When we want the Lord to

Despite warnings of the prophet Hosea, God’s people acted as if they could do without Him—never a good idea! In contrast, a woman received healing after touching Jesus’ cloak, and the Lord responded to an official’s faith by bringing his daughter back to life. Crowds seemed like sheep in need of a shepherd, but commissioning the Twelve to preach and heal in His name seemed to Jesus like sending sheep into a wolf pack. For the time being, He told the Apostles to avoid pagan towns, flee when unwelcome, and know that the Holy Spirit would

When the panicked Disciples woke Jesus from a nap during a storm at sea, He pointed out their needless fear before calming the wind and waves. Before curing a paralytic, Jesus healed him spiritually by forgiving his sins—an outrage to scribes on hand. People speculated about the Lord’s identity, but Peter got it right when he called Jesus the Son of God. After the Resurrection, Thomas needed to see Him firsthand in order to believe. Herod had Peter imprisoned for taking up the mantle after Jesus’ Ascension, but an angel freed the Apostle.

Using the image of someone with a beam in his eye offering to remove another person's splinter, Jesus cautioned about judging from the way we see things. Our Lord compared acting upon His words to building a house on a rock-solid foundation. Feeling unworthy to have Jesus under his roof, a centurion asked Jesus to cure his paralyzed servant from a distance. When an angel told Zechariah that he and his wife would have a son in their old age, it seemed impossible. Zechariah lost the power of speech until he got over that widely accepted view. Jes

Teaching people how to treat one another, Jesus didn't talk about fairness. He talked about perfection! In a far-reaching way, He spoke of going the extra mile when someone asks for help, lending when someone wants to borrow, forgiving instead of fighting back, and loving enemies. By the way, Jesus added not to show off when doing good deeds. In prayer, babbling serves no purpose. Neither does worry. God knows exactly what we need. Does wanting God to treat us better than we treat people around us sound fair?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that what we do and endure matter. He called the Disciples "salt of the earth" and "light of the world." Like a sprinkling of salt that enhances the flavor of food or a lamp that brightens a room, continuing to learn from the Lord and to share His teaching keep faith from becoming lackluster. Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament law and revelations given through the prophets. For example, swearing to do something and then reneging remains wrong, but Jesus advised just saying "yes" or "no" and meaning

Religious leaders tried to ensnare Jesus with clever questions. They recognized themselves in His parable about tenant farmers who would not get away with trying to take over a landowner's vineyard by beating or killing servants and even slaying the owner's son. Jesus said to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength, holding nothing back. Love of neighbor followed that foremost command. Paul advised Timothy to testify to the Lord, who will deny anyone who denies Him. Scripture-the Word of God-anchors our faith. What keeps us from talking t