The desert is depicted in Scripture as the realm of evil powers, symbolized by the predatory beasts that lurk there (Lev 16:10; Isa 35:79; Ezek 34:25). Jesus goes there to be tempted (or “put to the test,” NJB) by Satan, that is, to be tested in his resolve to carry out his messianic mission in accord with the Father’s will. He faces the same decision as Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen 3:16) and Israel in the desert (Exod 15:25; 16:4)but unlike them, he rebuffs temptation and stands fast in his determination to please the Father.

© 2008 Mary Healy and Baker Academic. Unauthorized use of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited.

Jesus’ word is what philosophers call a “performative statement,” a statement that brings about what it says. He is not merely telling the man that God has forgiven him; he is effecting that forgiveness. The significance of this stunning claim is not lost on the audience, some of whom are scribes trained in the law. They know well that forgiveness of sins is a prerogative of God alone (see Ps 51; Isa 43:25). Understandably, they are discomfited, and think to themselves, He is blaspheming. By perceiving these unspoken misgivings, Jesus gives the first evidence that his claim is legitimate, for it is God who reads the human heart (1 Sam 16:7; Jer 12:20; Sir 42:18). 

© 2008 Mary Healy and Baker Academic. Unauthorized use of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited.

Although leprosy has been virtually wiped out in developed nations, the loneliness and social stigma attending various physical or interior afflictions–for instance, AIDS or mental illness–is as widespread as ever. Indeed, leprosy is only an outward sign of the inner uncleanness experienced by all fallen human beings. The defilement of sin often causes a deep inner shame, even when a person is not consciously aware of it, that makes a person hesitant to turn to God. But as this man’s boldness in approaching Jesus was richly rewarded, so is the prayer of all those who approach him with confidence in his cleansing power, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation. Jesus is not dismayed, scandalized, or contaminated by any human defilement. He willingly removes it by the power of his own holiness, restoring our communion with others and making us fully qualified to enter into God’s presence.

© 2008 Mary Healy and Baker Academic. Unauthorized use of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited.

Jesus’ healings often involve his physical contact with the patient, a personal and consoling touch. In this case he grasped her hand and helped her up (literally “raised her up,” the same word used for his own resurrection, 16:6). This woman’s recovery from illness is a foreshadowing of the resurrection on the last day (12:24–26). Her immediate reaction is a model of discipleship: she waited on them. The Greek verb, diakoneō, later becomes a standard term for Christian ministry (Acts 6:2), from which we derive the word “deacon.” It is what Jesus himself said he came to do: “not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45). The right response to an experience of Jesus’ healing power is to begin to spend oneself in service to him and his disciples, that is, to the Church. Women exemplify this service in a particular way in the Gospels (Mark 15:41; Luke 10:40; John 12:2).

© 2008 Mary Healy and Baker Academic. Unauthorized use of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited.

The story of Jesus’ first exorcism portrays the forces of evil in a way that may appear to readers today as strikingly personal. For Mark, as for the whole New Testament, evil is not an impersonal force but is concentrated in invisible, malevolent beings who are bent on destroying human beingss and hindering God’s plan of salvation. These evil spirits are responsible for various mental and even physical maladies (7:25; 9:17–27; see Matt 12:22; Luke 13:11). Some exegetes, noting that the Gospels do not always clearly distinguish between illness and demonic possession, have concluded that the references to demons are simply a mythical way of symbolizing the misfortunes to which human beings are prone. The Church has always taught, however, that demons are real spiritual beings, fallen angels who were created by God but became evil by their own free choice (Catechism, 391–95).

© 2008 Mary Healy and Baker Academic. Unauthorized use of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited.

The call to be fishers of men evokes a prophecy of Jeremiah in which God promised to send out “many fishermen” to gather in the Israelites who had been scattered among the nations (Jer 16:14–16; see Mark 13:27). Jesus’ first disciples may have recalled this prophecy with a dawning sense of excitement as they began to realize the momentous significance of the vocation into which they were entering. 

© 2008 Mary Healy and Baker Academic. Unauthorized use of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited.

Here’s my advice about reading through the Bible.  Typically, people want to know what translation to read and what plan to follow.  Since it’s a rather ambitious goal to read through the Bible in a year, and since the goal is survey reading rather than study, I favor taking the path that entails as few difficulties as possible.

My advice about Bible translations is to pick whatever version you find easiest to read and understand.  This advice scandalizes some of my good friends who want people to read only the purest translation, but I stand by it!

I first read through the Living Bible, a contemporary paraphrase translation.  These days the easy-to-read translations include the Good News Bible (also called TEV, Today’s English Version), the New Jerusalem Bible, the Contemporary English Translation, and The Message.

People cannot get all the Catholic books in the Message and in many other Protestant translations (Protestant Bibles have seven fewer books in the Old Testament), so they may want to rule out those.  Look for an imprimatur by a bishop at the front to recognize approved Catholic editions that include all the books.

Another question people have is whether or not to use a Bible with notes.

I think it is really important to own a Bible with notes to consult when questions arise.  Most editions of the New American Bible Revised Edition [NABRE] and the New Jerusalem Bible have notes; the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible has very helpful notes, but so far only includes the New Testament.

Nevertheless, when reading through the whole Bible, I prefer NOT to use a Bible with extensive content footnotes since the temptation to read the notes as one goes along can cause readers to bog down.

If people want a Bible that is already formatted for daily reading (which really helped me), the Catholic One Year Bible is a great option.  Various translations are available at Amazon including the New Living Translation (an update of the version I first read) and the New Revised Standard Version.  The Catholic One Year Bible gives a daily selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and the deuteroncanonical books.

When I used the One Year Bible I appreciated the variety of readings daily: if one didn’t speak to me, very often another did.  The only thing I didn’t care for was the canonical order of the books—I’d rather spread the four gospels through the year rather than read them all at once at the beginning.

If you choose a Bible that’s formatted for daily reading that begins with Jan 1, I suggest starting at whatever the current date is.  At this point in the year, catching up is hard to do, and keeping current with the day’s date is a helpful motivation to stay on track.

Here’s another good option I just discovered on Amazon: My Daily Catholic Bible: 20 Minute Daily Readings.  This edition provides one OT and one NT reading from the New American Bible Revised Edition, along with a daily quotation from a saint.  (Previous editions exist using the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition.)  It spreads the Gospels through the year and looks very promising.  Another promising feature is that it gives readers the option of starting any day of the year and checking off readings as they are completed—another way of staying on track that allows a bit more flexibility.

For people who simply want a plan to read through the whole Catholic Bible, there are a variety of them online.  You can just google Catholic Daily Bible Reading Plan.  Here’s the link to one I found: http://catholicbibleinayear.org/daily-catholic-scripture-reading-schedule.  My friend and colleague, Dr. Mary Healy, just sent me a reading plan she created that includes two OT readings of diverse genre with one NT reading per day: Bible_in_a_year.

Other reading plans (that include the option of audio recordings of readings) are available on the Bible App for an IPhone, IPad, IPod or Droid and elsewhere on the internet.

Hope this post will help some Catholics to read through the entire Bible in a year.  It’s not too late to start!

The only possible conclusion is to flee fornication. The NAB translation, Avoid immorality, though admissible, loses the strength that Paul intends here: shun, escape from, flee. Porneia may be translated “immorality,” but the context suggests more specifically sexual immorality or fornication. Following Saint Thomas Aquinas, spiritual writers have advised that while other vices call for a tactic of resistance, fornication calls for the tactic of flight, lest passion be enkindled by toying with the occasion. 

© 2011 George T. Montague, SM and Baker Academic. Unauthorized use of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited.

The word magi originally described members of the Median and Persian priestly caste who advised the king and interpreted dreams. The term later was used more broadly to denote those who possessed mystical knowledge as priests, astrologers, soothsayers, or sages. Their popular association with kings today may be based on Old Testament passages that recount kings bringing gifts to the royal Davidic son (Ps 72:10–11), including gifts of gold and frankincense (Isa 60:3–6). In the Jewish tradition magi would bring to mind the opponents of Daniel in Babylon, who were associated with enchanters and sorcerers and claimed to interpret dreams and signs (Dan 1:20; 2:2; 4:4; 5:7 LXX). Hence, one would not expect magi from the East to be among the first to pay homage to the Jewish messiah. This account thus sets up a theme that will be repeated throughout Matthew’s gospel: Israel’s king is welcomed by those one would least expect while Jewish leaders work against him (2:4).

© 2010 Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri and Baker Academic. Unauthorized use of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited.