Neli ML

  First Sunday of Advent 2024 Luke 21:25-36 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today, we celebrate the first Sunday of the Advent season, a time that precedes the Christmas celebration and fills our hearts with joyful anticipation for the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year and calls us to prepare ourselves for a new cycle of discipleship. The four weeks of Advent are a guiding path, preparing us to receive the visitation of God in Jesus. The term “Advent” is derived from the Latin word “Adventus,” meaning “coming or arrival,” translated from the Greek term “Parousia,” found in the New Testament to signify the Second Coming of Christ. In our Christian faith, we interpret the essence of Advent across three distinct dimensions: his coming in history in the first century, his continuous arrival into the hearts of his disciples, and his expected, glorious Second coming. The first coming of Jesus took place in Bethlehem, in a humble place, ...

All Saints Day 2024 Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9 and Revelation 21:1-6 Rev. Neli Miranda Death is an event shared by all human beings, and science indicates that death marks the end of the biological cycle that begins at birth. However, the spirituality and meaning of life developed since the first human communities speak to us of beliefs and practices that transcend this conception. Remnants of bodies have been discovered carefully prepared and placed in graves, accompanied by personal items and utensils believed to be necessary in the afterlife. These rites expressed primordial understandings and beliefs about death, its significance, and what lies beyond mortal life.             Our Christian celebration of All Saint’s Day, began very early in Christian piety to honor the lives of martyrs, women and men who had remained faithful despite persecution, offering their lives in service to God. All Faithful Departed Day, celebr...

Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost 2024 Mark 10:17-31 Rev. Neli Miranda   We live in an economic system that promotes, praises, and rewards the accumulation of wealth and material possessions.   The pursuit of wealth accumulation has resulted in global wealth becoming concentrated in a few hands, while around 700 million people struggle to survive on less than $2.15 per day, below the extreme poverty line [1] .   In Guatemala, for instance, wealth is concentrated in a few families, while 16.2% of the population live in extreme poverty, a challenge predominantly prevalent in rural regions and indigenous communities. [2] In Jesus’ time riches were also accumulated in a few hands, and most of the people lived in extreme poverty and misery.    According to estimations 9 out of 10 persons lived close to the subsistence level or below it (Häkkinen, 2016). [3]   The Roman Empire had plundered the people’s possessions and distributed them among the Imper...

  Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost Mark 10:2-16 Rev. Neli Miranda Jesus has arrived in the territory of Judea where he will carry out the final part of his mission, which will be marked by a series of confrontations with his opponents. These confrontations begin with a group of Pharisees who challenge him with a question about divorce, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” (10,2). Their question reveals the dominant position of men in Jewish society as it emphasizes a man’s ability to divorce his wife, who is thus relegated to a position of object. To support their position, the Pharisees cite a Mosaic law, interpreting it to suit their own purposes; however, Jesus cites the foundational scriptures of Genesis, which highlight the creation of human beings, men and women, with equal dignity and rights. Last week, on October 1, we celebrated Children’s Day in Guatemala and given that the second section of today’s Gospel speaks to us about how Jesus wants us to treat...

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost Marcos 9:38-50 Rev. Neli Miranda   Last Sunday, we reflected on Jesus’ teaching about welcoming the little ones, the vulnerable within his community. By embracing a child, a little one, Jesus taught the twelve the essence of humility and compassion and urged them to prioritize caring for the marginalized over seeking power and glory. In today’s reading, we witness the continued lack of understanding of Jesus’ teachings among the twelve. They persist in upholding their positions of power and exclusivity rather than internalizing Jesus’ message. This time, they have attempted to stop someone acting in Jesus’ name, as recounted by John on behalf of the twelve:  “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”  (9:38). In Jesus’ mission, casting out demons means healing the sick, liberating the afflicted, and bringing good news to those in need. The person the d...

  Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost 2024 Mark 9:30-37 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today, we read in Mark’s Gospel that while Jesus and his disciples were journeying together, Jesus takes the opportunity to continue teaching them about the nature of his mission, his impending death and his resurrection. His proclamation has raised opposition among the Jewish authorities and soon they will seek to silence Jesus. So, he is going on a mission with no return but he remains resolute in his mission declaring, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again” (9,31). This is the second time that Jesus speaks of his impending death and resurrection; however, the disciples are still struggling with this announcement. Their expectation of the messianic hero prevents them from understanding Jesus’ mission.   Last Sunday, we heard for the first time Jesus’ announcement about his imminent suffering, death...

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost 2024 Mark 8:27-38 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today, Jesus and his disciples are journeying to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, a city known for its grandeur and political significance, where Roman authority and pagan worship were very prominent. Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, had granted the location to King Herod who built a marble temple in honor of the emperor. Later, Herod’s heir Philip the tetrarch, named the city Caesarea Philippi as a tribute to Caesar Augustus. During this journey, near a center of human power and arrogance, Jesus engages his disciples in a significant dialogue.   He poses two key questions to lead them in a deep understanding of his mission. Jesus begins the dialogue by asking, “Who do people say that I am?” Some months earlier, Jesus had begun his ministry in Galilee and his reputation has spread widely, garnering recognition from the people. His influence has extended to Judea in such a way that some Ph...