Saturday, June 6, 2026 - How often in a day do you let the opinion of others affect your behaviour? What will you do about it today?

 

Saturday, June 6, 2026 - How often in a day do you let the opinion of others affect your behaviour? What will you do about it today?

To read the texts click on the texts:Tobit 12:1,5-15,20; Mk 12:38-44

There are two parts to the text of today. The first deals with the condemnation of the scribes (12,38-40) and the second the commendation of a widow (12,41-44).

The charge against the scribes is that they have no concern for anyone except themselves. This lack of concern is shown in the behaviour they exhibited. Their words do not correspond to their actions and they do what they do only for external show.

Since one of the charges against the scribes was that they devour widows’ houses, the second part of the text speaks about a poor widow. The widow unlike the scribes has no concern for self and this is shown in her willingness to give everything to God. She is what she does.

So many of us live our lives based on the opinion of others. We want others to think well of us and will often act in such a way that meets their approval. There are also times when we may not be convinced of something and yet would do it only because we want to show externally that we are “part of the crowd”. When we behave in this manner we are imitating the scribes.

Friday, June 5, 2026 - How do you usually address God? Why do you use this title?

 

Friday, June 5, 2026 - How do you usually address Jesus? Why do you use this title?

To read the texts click on the texts:Tobit 11:5-17; Mk 12:35-37

Since Mark ended the previous episode by stating that after the scribes question and Jesus’ response no one dared to ask Jesus any question, he has Jesus himself ask the question about the Messiah as Son of David. In his interpretation of Ps 110,1 attributed to David, the Messiah is called Lord. If this is what David says, then the Messiah cannot be also his son. Mark’s point is that the title son of David is an inadequate title to describe who the Messiah really is.

Jesus cannot be captured by titles or names. He is much bigger than any name that we might use for him. And while we may know many things about him, his life and mission, we need to make every attempt to KNOW him.

 

Thursday, June 4, 2026 - Will your love for God show in your love for at least one person today?

 

Thursday, June 4, 2026 - Will your love for God show in your love for at least one person today?

To read the texts click on the texts: 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Mk 12:28-34

While in Matthew 22,35, the lawyer asks Jesus the question about the great commandment in order to test Jesus; in Mark he is not hostile. As a matter of fact Mark mentions at the beginning of the incident that he thought that Jesus had answered the Sadducees well and at the end he commends Jesus for his answer. Jesus responds in the words of the “Shema”, which speaks of love of God (Deut 6,5-6), but adds also the love of neighbour (Lev 19,18). The scribe’s response to this is to acknowledge Jesus’ answer as correct and to add that following these commandments is greater than sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jesus concludes the dialogue by stating that because the scribe has recognised what his priorities are, he is not far from the kingdom of God.

Love of God cannot really be separated from love of neighbour. The two go together. Our love for God is made manifest and tangible only when we reach out in love to someone else. While Paul gives a beautiful description of what love is and what it is not in 1 Corinthians 13, my own definition of love is that in love there is no “I”.

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 - To believe in the resurrection means to live each day as if were your last. Do you live in this way?

 

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 - To believe in the resurrection means to live each day as if were your last. Do you live in this way?

To read the texts click on the texts: 2 Timothy 1:1-3,6-12; Mk 12:18-27

Though belief in the resurrection had developed around two centuries prior to the birth of Jesus, there were many Jews who did not accept it. The Sadducees, especially, were known to regard belief in the resurrection as not justified by the scriptures or mentioned in them (Acts 23,8). In their question to Jesus to point out the absurdity of the resurrection, they use the custom of Levirate marriage mentioned in Deuteronomy 25,5 which states that the wife of a dead brother shall not be married outside the family to a stranger, but by her husband’s brother (Genesis 38,8). Their question is that if there were seven brothers and all seven had the same woman as wife, whose wife would she be in the resurrection. In his response Jesus first corrects their misunderstanding about what the resurrection means and implies. In the resurrection there will no longer be human institutions like marriage and so the question of being given in and taken in marriage does not arise. Humans in the resurrected life will no longer be constrained by the limits or relationships of their earthly bodies. He then uses scripture to establish that resurrection is indeed mentioned in the scripture and is about God’s revelation to Moses in Exodus 3,6-16 as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and if these are mentioned though they are dead, then he must be the God of the living, since they live in him. God is not God of the dead but the living.

Too much of concern with the afterlife or heaven and hell may lead to our not living fully this life on earth. Our heaven at this moment is here on earth and we must strive towards making it as enjoyable as possible not only for ourselves but also for those around us.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 - Does God have priority in your life? How does this show?

 

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 - Does God have priority in your life? How does this show?

To read the texts click on the texts: 2 Peter 3:11-15,17-18; Mk 12:13-17

The Pharisees theoretically accepted the position of the Zealots who refused to admit the subjection of God’s people to a foreign power but they would not use force. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians is asked to trap Jesus and so the praise of Jesus is ironic and implies that Jesus is being asked to decide the question because his impartiality mirrors that of God. They think they can trap Jesus because if he said yes or No, he was bound to alienate one group or another. If he supported the payment, he would make himself unpopular with the people and if he said No, he would be politically suspect to the Roman authorities. The tax was to be paid in Roman coinage and instead of answering the question, Jesus first calls for the denarius. The denarius would bear a portrait of the emperor Tiberius (14 - 37 C.E.). Jesus forces them to look at the coin which would have been offensive to them, because having the Emperor’s portrait on the coin violated Jewish rules of making images and worshipping idols. As soon as they identify the head on the coin, Jesus points to them what they already say, namely that the coin since it bears Caesar’s head belongs to Caesar.

 

Jesus rejects the position of the Zealots without accepting that of the Herodians who would be willing to pay the tax.

By adding “and to God the things that are God’s.” Jesus turns the pronouncement of paying taxes into a spiritual challenge to meet ones obligations to God as conscientiously as one meets the obligations of the state.

How often we too are so conscientious in fulfilling our state duties because we are afraid of being caught, but are lax with God.