Knowing the great commandment to love God and neighbor, a scholar of the law asked Jesus to define neighbor. Through a parable, the scholar got the message that merciful and neighborly mean the same thing. In a story about a friend knocking at the door at midnight in need of a favor, Jesus illustrated the importance of praying, day or night, and not giving up on God. Two sisters, Martha and Mary, had different ideas of how to show hospitality when Jesus came to visit. Jesus sided with Mary, who listened to Him without distraction. Saint Paul sh

After a man named Job lost his work animals, his herd of sheep, and even his children, he came understandably close to losing his faith. He didn’t understand why so much hardship had befallen him. James and John asked Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven to destroy a Samaritan town that refused to welcome them. They could do great things but had much to learn about the childlike humility that our Lord desires. In a preview of the Church intended to carry on His work until He comes again, Jesus sent 72 missionaries to proclaim the k

People can choose whether to at least try to make the Light and Love of the Lord visible. Saint Paul advised not putting off opportunities to do good works. Love and justice go hand in hand, and doing the right thing matters to the Lord more than sacrifice. Herod the Tetrarch (son of Herod at the time of Jesus’ birth) had John the Baptist beheaded. Rumors spread that John, Elijah, or one of the other prophets had come back to life in Jesus. While speculation swirled, Peter blessedly recognized Jesus as the Christ. When the Lord warned that He

As a military officer, a centurion knew that words exert power. Admittedly unworthy to have Jesus under his roof, the centurion sent messengers to ask that Jesus just say the word to heal a gravely ill slave. No one even had to ask for the Lord’s help when He came upon a widow whose only son had just died. Jesus cured the slave and raised the widow’s son. At the home of a Pharisee, a sinful woman cried at Jesus’ feet, dried the fallen tears with her hair, and applied ointment that she had brought. Jesus saw foremost her love, a far cry fr

Suffering has a wide range, from poverty and hunger to sadness and exclusion. Seeing a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on a Sabbath, Jesus asked scribes and Pharisees on hand if He could lawfully do something good that day. Scripture doesn’t record a reply, but Jesus performed the miracle anyway. Athletes train, setting the bar high for a winning jump or other crowns of victory. Seeking eternal life entails giving more than asked, showing kindness to ungrateful people, and forgiving instead of judging. Humbly obedient to the will of

Jesus went beyond literal fulfillment of words from the prophet Isaiah as He brought Good News to the poor in spirit, freed captives to sin, and granted eyesight or insight to people who wanted to see. In Nazareth, people tried to run Jesus off a cliff for pointing out favors from God to Gentiles. On the other hand, after the Lord cured Peter’s mother-in-law and others who came to the house, people begged Him to stay there. Pharisees, sure of themselves, placed some unsalvageable demands on people. Jesus used the analogies of trying to patch

Jesus openly challenged hypocritical scribes and Pharisees. Their example got in the way of people seeking to enter the Kingdom of heaven. They acted as if tithing excused their lack of mercy. They engaged in ritual while ignoring righteousness. Using another teaching method, the Lord told parables to get whole crowds thinking. In one story, ten bridesmaids went outside to await the arrival of the groom and his attendants. Half of the bridal party eventually ran short of lamp oil, missed the torchlight procession, and got locked out of the wedd