Neli ML

  Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost John 6:1-21 Rev. Neli Miranda In Spanish, there is a saying, “En donde comen dos, comen tres...” which in English translates to “Where two can eat, so can three”.   I have heard this saying several times in my life, and it usually comes from people willing to share their food with others. Today’s Gospel revisits the well-known passage about the feeding of a large crowd of five thousand people. Just as in last Sunday’s Gospel, we witness   great crowds following Jesus. These people belonged to the most marginalized socioeconomic groups in first-century Jewish society. They lived desperate looking for their daily food and were constantly anguished because of the sick people among them. They followed Jesus because he embodied a compassionate shepherd, attentive to their needs and much suffering. Today, John tells us that Jesus is with his disciples on a mountain where a great multitude reaches them. Multitudes were familiar to Jesus; however, he

  Tenth Sunday after Pentecost 2024 Jeremiah 23,1-6; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Rev. Neli Miranda   “T he  Lord  is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters…” (Psalm 23,1-2). In the Old Testament, the endearing image of a shepherd is frequently used to depict God’s relationship with the people of Israel.   The psalmists and the prophets abundantly speak of God as a shepherd, highlighting how God guides, cares for, and protects the people of Israel. The leadership including kings, prophets, priests, judges, and other leaders among the people are also portrayed as shepherds of the people, modeled after God, the Good Shepherd. Today’s first lesson, taken from the prophet Jeremiah, begins with a woe oracle addressed to the leadership, the shepherds of the people of Judah: “ Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the  Lord !” (23,1). Jeremiah prophesied in the sixth century B.C,

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost 2024 Mark 6:1-14 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today’s Gospel comprises two stories. The first speaks about the rejection of Jesus in his hometown, and the second one tells us about the sending out of the twelve. In the preceding verses, we read about Jesus’ liberating actions in favor of many people in need. In gentile territory, Jesus liberated a man - a community - who lived tormented by a legion; that is, the Roman occupation. Upon his return to Galilee, in Capernaum, Jesus healed a woman who had suffered from hemorrhage for twelve years and raised Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter to life. With these precedents, Jesus arrives today at his hometown followed by his disciples. It is the Sabbath; the people are gathered in the synagogue and Jesus begins to teach. However, instead of welcoming him warmly, Jesus’ fellow townspeople begin to question his authority. They are astounded that someone who has grown up among them is now teaching in their synagogue