Neli ML

  Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Rev. Neli Miranda             After six weeks of reading and reflecting on chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, we now return to the Gospel of Mark. In Mark, we witness that Jesus spends most of his public ministry in Galilee, the northern province of Palestine.   Galilee was distinct from Judea, the southern province where Jerusalem, the capital, was located. Although Galileans and Judeans shared the same ethnic origin, they were different due to their distinct history, geography, and culture. The Judeans despised their northern neighbors, believing themselves to be an ethnically and religiously pure people. While Judeans prided themselves for their “ethnic purity”, Galileans lived among a mixed population and in close proximity to Gentiles.   Judeans were also in closer proximity and adherence to the Jerusalem temple and religious authorities while Gali...

  Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2024 John 6, 51-58 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today, as we continue reading John Chapter 6, we find Jesus revealing himself as the living bread that descended from heaven. Following the feeding of the five thousand with bread and fish, Jesus spoke about the food that endures for eternal life and urged his followers, “Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man [Jesus] will give you” (6,27).   In the Gospel of John, the concept of eternal life transcends a mere perpetuation of life after death; it signifies a full life, an intimate communion with God that begins in the present. Jesus, the provider of this gift, invites his listeners to believe in him and partake of the bread he offers to experience this profound relationship with God. Here, Jesus transitions the discourse from the physical bread he distributed among the multitude of five thousand ...

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – Sunday, August 4, 2024 John 6:24-35 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today, we continue reading John’s account of the events following the feeding of the five thousand. Most of these people returned home satisfied. They had been filled with the Word of God and with the bread and fish distributed by Jesus and his disciples. Some among them also experienced healing at the hands of Jesus, returning home full in body and spirit. However, as John recounts, some of them continued looking for Jesus and followed him to Capernaum, seemingly drawn by the prospect of continued physical sustenance rather than by understanding the liberating message of the Kingdom of God. The Roman government had a practice that kept the large crowds pacified by offering them free food and “entertainment” at the Colosseum a practice known as “bread and circus”. While bread is sacred and a fundamental human right, here it was used as a tool of control, providing temporary relief while...

  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...

  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 prophesi...

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 synag...

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost 2024 Mark 5, 21- 43 Rev. Neli Miranda Jesus’ ministry was not controlled by the social and religious conventions of his time, which protected and favored the rich and powerful. Rather, it was driven by God’s deep love that helps all humans in need regardless of their social status, gender, or age. Jesus even crossed geographic borders to proclaim the Kingdom of God outside of Israel, to gentile regions, considered outside God’s grace. Last week, Mark told us about Jesus’ first mission trip outside the borders of Israel and how this journey implied risks and threats. Upon arriving on the other side, in gentile territory, Jesus liberated a man with an unclean spirit, whose name was Legion. This man represented the entire community oppressed and tormented by the Roman occupation, a legion consisting of 6000 Roman soldiers. Today’s Gospel narrates Jesus’ healing of a woman and a girl, both of whom belong to the most marginalized social group in history,...