Jesus knew that the Father could spare Him the agony of the Cross. He completely understood people's desire for God to ask less of them. Offering a new Way, Jesus taught that a patchwork of old, rigidly applied rules ripped away faith. Before curing a man with a withered hand, the Lord left Pharisees in a synagogue speechless by asking if the law allowed doing something good on the Sabbath. Crowds pressed upon Jesus, trying to get near enough to touch Him in hope of healing. When we want God to speak to us in obvious ways, like Jesus' voice hea

After John the Baptist's arrest, Jesus proclaimed the importance of repentance and belief because the time of fulfillment had arrived. Four fishermen, called by Jesus, left their nets to follow Him. Other people sought out the Lord, going so far as to break through the roof to lower a paralytic into Jesus' presence. He cured a leper, who let his excitement override Jesus' instruction not to tell anyone about the miracle. Challenges by religious leaders tested Jesus' resolve, and He can sympathize with human discouragement and weakness. Levi (Ma

After feeding the spiritual hunger of a vast crowd, the Lord multiplied five loaves and two fish for the people to eat, although the Disciples did not fully understand the meaning behind the miracle. Jesus then sent the Disciples and the crowd on their way so that He could pray by Himself for a while. Terrifying His friends by walking through waves on the Sea of Galilee to rejoin them in their boat, the Lord then calmed things down. As Jesus continued to preach, heal, and Baptize people, news about Him spread. John the Baptist sought to magnify

After seeing the newborn Savior cradled in a lowly manger, shepherds returned to their labors while praising God. When Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, a prophetess gave thanks to God and spoke about the Christ Child. John the Baptist preceded Jesus in public ministry. God had revealed to John that he would see the Holy Spirit descend like a dove upon the One to come. After that, John recognized Jesus and publicly proclaimed Him as the Son of God-the One who would Baptize with the Holy Spirit. Andrew and another follower of John t

An angel appeared to Joseph to reassure him after He learned of Mary's expected Child. Away from home, with no comfortable lodging available, the Holy Family still welcomed shepherds who arrived after receiving heavenly tidings of the Savior's birth. To keep Jesus safe from King Herod, the family fled to Egypt. John the Baptist, not much older than Jesus, later preached a baptism of repentance and hope of salvation through the One who came after him. Even if we cannot imagine what to say to someone in need of spiritual reassurance, do we trust

Anyone could pray in the outer Temple area, and Jesus ransacked a marketplace inappropriately set up there. He offered to tell priests and elders where He got the authority, but only if they answered whether the baptism offered by John the Baptist had heavenly or human origin. Scripture traces Jesus' family tree. Although Divine, Jesus shared in humanity through His birth to the Virgin Mary. When two miraculously expectant mothers greeted each other, Elizabeth called Mary the Mother of the Lord, blessed for believing. When we question why God d

Mary wanted to understand how she could give birth to the Son of God, but accepting the angel Gabriel's answer still required great faith. Like children wanting people to sing or dance to whatever tunes they played on their flutes, people criticized John the Baptist and Jesus for ministering in their own ways. God, who never tires, can renew people's strength. Jesus showed the kind of meekness that means patient endurance; it takes inner strength! Like a good shepherd, the Lord does not abandon one sheep gone astray. During Advent, do we recogn