by Faith Central & Steve Welsh
“… The royal official said to Him,
‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’
Jesus said to him, ‘You may go; your son will live.’
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
… this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.”
“… In the midst of our observance of #Lent we are reminded, as we prepare for the #Triduum and #Easter, that #Christ has triumphed already and we readily recognize the joy of his victory that lasts for all time. The Lenten season helps us to prepare for these celebrations that mark our deliverance from darkness to light, from sin to grace, from death to life. …”
“In today’s #Gospel, #Jesus, the Light of the World, brings light to a man born blind. If you are prepared to accept it, you are the man born blind, for all of us were born blind and in darkness. It was our baptism and the faith it gave that rendered us able to see and to come gradually more fully into the light. The man in today’s Gospel shows forth the stages of the Christian walk, out of darkness and into the beautiful light of Christ. Let’s take a moment to ponder the stages of the blind man’s walk, for each of us is the man. …”
“To the man who had been blind from birth He gave sight, not by means of a word but by an outward action; doing this not without a purpose or because it so happened, but that He might show forth the hand of God which at the beginning had moulded man. …”
“As #Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
… Jesus answered … We have to do the works of the One who sent Me while it is day.
… While I am in the world, I AM the Light of the World.’
… He spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
‘Go wash in the Pool of Siloam’ — which means Sent.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see. …”
“The #angel #Gabriel was sent from #God
to a town of #Galilee called #Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named #Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was #Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
‘Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. …
Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.’
… Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.’
Then the angel departed from her.”
“#Peter approached #Jesus and asked him,
‘Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?’
Jesus answered, ‘I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants. …”
1. “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took his wife” (cf. Mt 1 :24).
Inspired by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the earliest centuries stressed that just as St. Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing,(1) he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, that is, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model. …
“Jacob was the father of #Joseph, the husband of #Mary.
Of her was born #Jesus who is called the #Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
‘Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.’ …”
“#Jesus came to a town of #Samaria … Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. … A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
— For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans. — Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.’ ….”