Even when St. Joseph found out about Mary’s expected Child before they lived together, he did not want to subject her to shame. A message from an angel reassured him. The mother of James and John wanted Jesus to promise that her sons would sit at Jesus’ right and left when He came into His glory. Of course, she wanted to spare them being at His side in crucifixion. In a string of the Lord’s parables, a vineyard owner had a hard time collecting his share of the produce from the tenant farmers, a rich man ignored someone sick and impoverish

Jesus spent 40 days of fasting in the desert and overcame temptations. By His example, we know that in sacrifice, we find strength. Still, the Lord encouraged people to ask our heavenly Father for what they desire. God knows our needs but wants us to recognize our need for Him. Through His grace, we should reconcile with people instead of holding grudges, love people we would rather avoid, and willingly sacrifice to help others. If we knock repeatedly when God takes a while to answer prayers, does our impatience reflect a need to remind ourselv

Having obeyed the Commandments since his youth, a man asked Jesus what else he had to do. When Jesus advised giving up his many possessions to help the poor, the man went away sad. Peter pointed out that the Disciples had given up everything. Jesus said they could expect a hundred times more, but included both persecution and the promise of eternal life in the mix. Jesus gladly attended a bash that Matthew hosted in celebration of his call to become a Disciple. Even John the Baptist’s followers joined the Pharisees in wondering why the Lord d

The Disciples encountered someone expelling demons in Jesus’ name, yet they could not heal a man’s son of convulsions that even threw the son into fire or water. Jesus welcomed anyone to invoke His name for help in doing good works, and He cured the son, explaining that only prayer can heal some of the things that wrack us. Children believe stories of kingdoms, and Jesus encouraged faith in the Kingdom of God. Rather than bland intellectualizing, the Lord wants Disciples whose faith gives heart to their interactions. Looking at how we treat

After seeing Jesus multiply bread and fish on two occasions, the Disciples failed to understand what He meant when telling them to beware of “the leaven of the Pharisees.” What those leaders taught would never rise to the level of satisfying spiritual hunger. Although recognizing Jesus as the Christ, Peter did not want to hear about our Savior’s suffering and death. Still, the Lord appointed Peter as cornerstone of the Church and gave him the keys to heaven. If the Lord does not grant what we ask this week, can we accept what He gives and

People could tell Jesus was in town when sick people lay on mats in the marketplace, hoping for healing if they could just touch the tassel of His cloak. Jesus knew that the “chosen people” felt favored by God. At the time, granting a Gentile woman’s request to heal her daughter would seem like throwing food meant for children to the dogs. The woman persisted, saying that even dogs get scraps dropped by the children. Jesus used actual meals as opportunities to minister, too. He multiplied seven loaves and a few fish to feed a huge crowd.

A man freed of unclean spirits wanted to follow Jesus, but the Lord sent him home to his family with the instruction to proclaim the miracle done for him. Although a messenger brought word that the daughter of a synagogue official named Jairus had died, the official trusted that the Lord could still help. Meanwhile, Jesus realized that healing had come through Him to someone in the crowd. When a woman cured of hemorrhaging fearfully admitted that she had touched His cloak, the Lord did not take back the healing. Jesus sent the Apostles out in p