As noted in Mark24 Mark has brought his reader to the point where he can put the question Who do you say I am The first 8 chapters of the Gospel its sayings and deeds are the basis for any judgment by Jesus friends enemies and followers We never forget that Mark s reader in Rome alre

1 Thessalonians is the earliest letter of Paul the Apostle of which we are aware and so the earliest written document of the Church Last Sunday s second reading began with the short salutation from Paul Silvanus and Timothy to the Church in Thessalonica ending with the simple grace 1

After the stories about the cures of gentiles and the feeding of gentiles Mark has Jesus return to Israel and Galilee by boat Jesus sudden remark that his disciples must guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod is totally misunderstood by Jesus companions They t

In the gospel reading for this Sunday Jesus is asked to identify which is the greatest commandment He responds You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart with your whole soul and with all your mind And second You shall love your neighbor as yourself Matt 22 34-40 Usu

One might wonder why there is a second story about the multiplication of loaves no fish this time The answer begins with the fact that we are being offered a third story about Jesus working outside Israel At the end of this story about loaves Mark notes that Jesus got into a boat with his dis

Paul brings Galatians to an end with notes of exhortation and encouragement and yes warnings and challenges As a good parent he also manages to tell them in no uncertain terms not to make any trouble for him any longer the parental Enough Let s begin with exhortation and encouragement In