Are you still with us? I’m finding it a little bit difficult with my busy schedule to keep up to my daily commitment of reading Mark’s gospel during Lent and providing the Blobble study here. I hope you don’t mind if I miss a day or two!
Today I leave for St Thomas Church, North Charleston to preach a three day Lent mission. If you’re in Charleston or the area come and join us. The address is 6650 Dorchester Rd. N. Charlestson. The sessions start at 7pm. Tonight my conversion story. Tuesday, Hearing the Faith Story. Wednesday: Sharing the Faith Stories. Then from April 5-8 I will be at St Leo the Great Parish in Fairfax Virginia. If you’re in the DC area come and join us. I’ll be preaching at all masses and speaking on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings at 7pm
Today’s Bible study takes us into the sixth chapter of Mark’s gospel. In the last chapter we shifted to longer, more detailed stories of Jesus’ miracles and teachings. These become gradually more and more amazing as Mark builds up his evidence for Jesus being the incarnate Son of God. The stories of miracles, healing and teachings are interspersed with accounts of h0w Jesus is being rejected by everyone. In the first few chapters we see him coming into conflict with the Scribes and Pharisees. Then we see his own family being disturbed and thinking he is insane. Today the rejection stories continue.
1 He departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.2 When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!3 Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”5So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.6He was amazed at their lack of faith.
He went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching.7 He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts.9They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.11Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”12So they went off and preached repentance.13 They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
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