Ignorant of Jesus’ Origins (Jn 7:1, 25-30) Prayer: O Jesus, I believe that you come from the Father. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching in the Temple. Context: When Jesus is in Galilee, he works miracles and receives acclaim. When he goes to Jerusalem, he finds persecution because the leaders want to …
The Father’s Testimony (Jn 5:31-47) Prayer: O Jesus, help me to believe your testimony. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching in the Temple. Context: Jesus explains his purpose in healing the man. By this miraculous deed, the Father testifies about Jesus’ divine mission. Before this, John the Baptist testified about Jesus. However, …
The Son and the Father (Jn 5:17-30) Prayer: O Jesus, reveal the Father and Jesus to me. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching his disciples in the Temple. Context: Jesus has just healed a man who lay ill for thirty-eight years. However, he healed him on the Sabbath, and “The Jews began …
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:28) The angel Gabriel’s words are powerful and perplexing for the Blessed Mother. The teenager Mary was frightened by the angel’s message, so he offered the assurance that she need not be afraid as …
The New Water of Life (Jn 5:1-16) Prayer: O Jesus, heal my body and remove my sins. Imagination: Picture Jesus speaking to the healed man. Context: John portrays Jesus as going to Jerusalem on feast days to show that Jesus fulfills Jewish aspirations concerning the Messiah. This is the third …
St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joseph’s Dilemma (Mt 1:16-25) Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Give to me Joseph’s fidelity to God’s plan. Imagination: Picture Joseph receiving the angel’s message. Context: Luke tells us about Mary accepting her role as Mother of God. In Matthew’s gospel, the stories focus …
The Blind Man (Jn 9:1-41) Prayer: O Jesus, make me a faithful disciple, even amid persecutions. Imagination: Picture Jesus healing the blind man. Context: John’s gospel is built around 3 main stories. The Samaritan woman represents a beginner who has accepted Jesus as Messiah. The blind man (in this gospel) is the …
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Lk 18:9-14) Prayer: O Lord, fill me with light that I would see my sinfulness. Imagination: Picture Jesus with His disciples. Context: The two men both arrive at the hour of prayer (either 9:00AM or 3:00PM). Three aspects mark the Pharisee – his prominent …
The Scribe Close to the Kingdom (Mk 12:28-34) Prayer: O Jesus, I want to love you with all my heart and soul. Imagination: Picture Jesus with the crowd while he speaks with this good-willed scribe. Context: This scribe is not hostile. His question is sincere. In response, Jesus quotes the …
Casting out Devils by God’s Finger (Lk 11:15-26) Prayer: O Jesus, use your great power to bless ME. Imagination: Picture Jesus with the disciples and the crowds. Context: In this text, Jesus meets two enemies. They agree that Jesus worked these miracles and cast out Satan. Some question the source …
The Law and the Prophets (Mt 5:17-20) Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Make me great in Jesus’ Kingdom. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching his disciples. Context: “Law and Prophets” means the whole Old Testament. Jesus wants his Church to retain these books and teach them to his disciples. At the same time, …
In the Litany of Saint Joseph, one of his titles is “terror of demons.” In these days when evil seems to have the upper hand, Saint Joseph is a powerful intercessor in our own struggle against evil. As God chose Mary to be the perfect mother of Jesus, God chose …
The Unmerciful Servant (Mt 18:23-35) Prayer: O Jesus, fill my heart with the Holy Spirit of mercy towards others. Imagination: Picture Jesus with his disciples. Context: This parable about the Last Judgment highlights the deepest secret of discipleship. They must learn how to forgive. The warning is serious. God, who …
Rejection at Nazareth (Lk 4:24-30) Prayer: O Lord, never let me reject you. Imagination: Picture Jesus confronted by the angry citizens of Nazareth. Context: The mood of the crowd changes suddenly from acceptance to rejection. Jesus pinpoints the cause. They want to see miracles. Jesus recounts two stories in which …
The Samaritan Woman (Jn 4:5-15) Prayer: O Jesus, give me the living waters of the Kingdom. Imagination: Picture Jesus speaking to the woman by the well. Context: John’s gospel has three central stories. The Woman at the Well represents a beginner. The healed blind man represents a disciple in the middle …
The Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32) Prayer: O Heavenly Father, let me never leave your house. Imagination: Picture Jesus with His disciples. Context: This is a “Parable of the Father’s Love” and is drawn from real life. Many young unmarried sons (under twenty) asked for their inheritance to leave Palestine and …
Taking Away Their Vineyard (Mt 21:33-43) Prayer: O Lord, you have given me everything. Make me a faithful tenant. Imagination: Picture Jesus with his disciples and his opponents. Context: Jesus spoke this parable in Jerusalem when the chief priests and elders questioned his authority. The parable fitted their situation. The tenants …
The Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31) Prayer: O Lord, awaken me by this warning. Do not let me be like the foolish brothers. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching the crowds. Context: Judaism believed that riches proved God’s favor and that poverty proved sinfulness. Jesus reveals the true picture, which shocks …
Ambitious James and John (Mt 20:17-28) Prayer: Come Holy Spirit. Reveal the glory you have prepared. Imagination: Picture James and John seeking favors from Jesus. Context: Jesus has just told the apostles that he would come in glory. With great ambition, James and John want that glory. Before granting any …
The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Mt 23:1-12) Prayer: O Jesus, give me the heart of a servant. Imagination: Picture Jesus instructing His disciples in humility. Context: Jesus does not criticize the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees (although he alludes to moral rigorism) but he condemns their practices of seeking …
