In Preparation for June 23, 2024

Mark 4:35-41 Lead in: In Mark 4, in the midst of a violent storm at sea, the panicky disciples are paralyzed by fear. Their boat is taking on water, and it looks like the swell of huge waves is about to overtake them. Amazingly Jesus, the sound sleeper he is, is...

In Preparation for June 16, 2024

Mark 4:26-34 Lead in: Ezekiel 17:22-24 speaks of the towering Lebanon cedar. In Mark 4, Jesus speaks of the gangly mustard bush. The Lebanon cedar of the Middle East is the equivalent to the mighty redwood of California. The mustard bush is the equivalent of the...

In Preparation for June 9, 2024

Mark 3:20-35 Lead in: In Mark 3:20, we find Jesus in the early part of his ministry, but he was already widely known. So when word got out that Jesus had come back to his hometown, a huge crowdgathered pressing in on him. So much so that he didn’t even have time to...

In Preparation for June 2, 2024

Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 Lead in: In Mark 14, we hear the story of the first Eucharist. Popular Catholic speaker and teacher Scott Hahn says that if the Eucharist is nothing more than a meal, then Christ’s death on the cross at Calvary was nothing more than an execution....