The Gospel according to St. Mark
Chapter
3
¹ Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 1)
Oh God my Father, everywhere You went You found Your work before you meaning people who either need to be physically or spiritually healed. I pray oh Jesus that You teach me to be sensitive to the different places and situations where You send me, for even in such environments there might be people whom You sent me to talk to and by Your grace and mercy would receive comfort for their souls. I pray that I will be an instrument in Your hands that You can keep on using, wherever and whenever You want to Amen.
² They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 2)
Oh God, my Father, during the present times even I am under scrutiny to see if I do something wrong. Today I have an important meeting which may determine my future at the place of work. However even though, they have their agenda which is planned to 'help' me, You have another agenda, which may or may not tally with theirs. I pray oh God my Father, that Your will may be done Amen and not that of the world. Thank You, Jesus.
³ And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come forward." ⁴ Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God, my Father, I am that withered man. At any time of my life, You are able to call me personally from the crowd and invite me to be healed both spiritually, psychologically and even physically. You are inviting me to come forward and receive my healing. Oh God, my beloved Father, there are no limits to Your love and healing grace. No boundary is enough to condition You, my God and Father, for You created all and all is subject to You Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
⁵ He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 5)
Oh God, my beloved Father, if there was something that really angered You is when we become rebellious to You by hardening our hearts, especially when it is done by people who know much better than others. However even though You were angry You did not lose control of yourself, and You kept on in doing the will of God the Father and healed the man with the withered arm. I pray for self-control during such situations Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
⁶ The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 6)
Oh God my beloved Father, many times as in the case of the Pharisees, we tend to lose our focus. Instead of focusing on the fact that the person was healed, they focused on the day that the healing took place so that they could accuse You. They even conspired with the Herodians whom they did not have had a good relationship.
Oh God my Father, I wish for Your protection in what I do and say especially in the case of Separation, for her lawyer is like a hawk trying to eat my flesh with every move he makes, but You are with me and I am not alone. Amen.
⁷ Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; ⁸ hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God my blessed Father, Your popularity as a healer and miracle maker spread far and wide and many people came to receive the healing that was being given by You, however, this was not Your aim, which was that of spreading the 'Good News' of the Kingdom of Heaven and the saving of souls from the clutches of evil. Amen.
⁹ He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him: ¹⁰ for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 9 to 10)
Oh God, my Father, I understand Your wish to make a healthy boundary between You and the people that You had cured, because those people would speak to other people, who would keep demanding from You. I also pray that You help me keep a healthy boundary from the people whom I am helping Amen.
¹¹ Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, "You are the Son of God!" ¹² But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God, my beloved Father, the evil spirits cannot stand Your presence. It is too mighty for them. On the other hand, they know that You have control over them however they still tried to cause harm by exposing You in public. Their testimony would have been enough to be used as witness at the time of Your processing in front of the High Priest there You always rebuked such spirits Amen, I pray that Your presence is present in me wherever I am and that such spirits will decide to go their ways, not because of me but because of Your presence Amen.
¹² But he sternly ordered them not to make him known
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 12)
Oh God my Father, You have the power to rebuke the evil spirits, but one may wonder why You always ordered them not to make You known. On reflecting it may be that if the people heard the evil spirits clearly proclaiming who You really are they would not have crucified You and this would have hindered the outcome the unfolding of Your plan for our salvation, therefore such spirits always had to be rebuked into obedience Amen.
¹³ He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 13)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for the time when You wanted to share with me a special message when You invited me to go with You upon the mountain and there You called me to follow You Amen.
¹⁴ And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, ¹⁵ and to have authority to cast out demons.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 14 to 15)
Oh God my blessed Father even though I was not one of the chosen twelve or one of Your priests, I am spreading the message by means of this blog, I pray that You bless me and this blog, so that by means of it I will continue this mission of love to many others Amen.
¹⁵ So he appointed the twelve Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); ¹⁷ James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Bonerges, that is, Sons of Thunder; ¹⁸ and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 18 to 19)
Oh God my blessed Father when You chose the twelve You did not consider their level of education, or wealth or University Degree in Theology. You chose people from different walks of life, who were to play different roles. I pray that You continue to call people as You did in these times regardless of what the world considers as being merit or of value Amen.
²⁰ Then he went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 20)
Oh God, my beloved Father, we cannot live without You this is why we are so demanding because we cannot live without You my God and Father. Every day as in the following song credited to Hebar Vega, we want more of You in our lives.
More power ² They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 2)
Oh God, my Father, during the present times even I am under scrutiny to see if I do something wrong. Today I have an important meeting which may determine my future at the place of work. However even though, they have their agenda which is planned to 'help' me, You have another agenda, which may or may not tally with theirs. I pray oh God my Father, that Your will may be done Amen and not that of the world. Thank You, Jesus.
³ And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come forward." ⁴ Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God, my Father, I am that withered man. At any time of my life, You are able to call me personally from the crowd and invite me to be healed both spiritually, psychologically and even physically. You are inviting me to come forward and receive my healing. Oh God, my beloved Father, there are no limits to Your love and healing grace. No boundary is enough to condition You, my God and Father, for You created all and all is subject to You Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
⁵ He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 5)
Oh God, my beloved Father, if there was something that really angered You is when we become rebellious to You by hardening our hearts, especially when it is done by people who know much better than others. However even though You were angry You did not lose control of yourself, and You kept on in doing the will of God the Father and healed the man with the withered arm. I pray for self-control during such situations Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
⁶ The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 6)
Oh God my beloved Father, many times as in the case of the Pharisees, we tend to lose our focus. Instead of focusing on the fact that the person was healed, they focused on the day that the healing took place so that they could accuse You. They even conspired with the Herodians whom they did not have had a good relationship.
Oh God my Father, I wish for Your protection in what I do and say especially in the case of Separation, for her lawyer is like a hawk trying to eat my flesh with every move he makes, but You are with me and I am not alone. Amen.
⁷ Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; ⁸ hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God my blessed Father, Your popularity as a healer and miracle maker spread far and wide and many people came to receive the healing that was being given by You, however, this was not Your aim, which was that of spreading the 'Good News' of the Kingdom of Heaven and the saving of souls from the clutches of evil. Amen.
⁹ He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him: ¹⁰ for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 9 to 10)
Oh God, my Father, I understand Your wish to make a healthy boundary between You and the people that You had cured, because those people would speak to other people, who would keep demanding from You. I also pray that You help me keep a healthy boundary from the people whom I am helping Amen.
¹¹ Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, "You are the Son of God!" ¹² But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God, my beloved Father, the evil spirits cannot stand Your presence. It is too mighty for them. On the other hand, they know that You have control over them however they still tried to cause harm by exposing You in public. Their testimony would have been enough to be used as witness at the time of Your processing in front of the High Priest there You always rebuked such spirits Amen, I pray that Your presence is present in me wherever I am and that such spirits will decide to go their ways, not because of me but because of Your presence Amen.
¹² But he sternly ordered them not to make him known
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 12)
Oh God my Father, You have the power to rebuke the evil spirits, but one may wonder why You always ordered them not to make You known. On reflecting it may be that if the people heard the evil spirits clearly proclaiming who You really are they would not have crucified You and this would have hindered the outcome the unfolding of Your plan for our salvation, therefore such spirits always had to be rebuked into obedience Amen.
¹³ He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 13)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for the time when You wanted to share with me a special message when You invited me to go with You upon the mountain and there You called me to follow You Amen.
¹⁴ And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, ¹⁵ and to have authority to cast out demons.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 14 to 15)
Oh God my blessed Father even though I was not one of the chosen twelve or one of Your priests, I am spreading the message by means of this blog, I pray that You bless me and this blog, so that by means of it I will continue this mission of love to many others Amen.
¹⁵ So he appointed the twelve Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); ¹⁷ James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Bonerges, that is, Sons of Thunder; ¹⁸ and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 18 to 19)
Oh God my blessed Father when You chose the twelve You did not consider their level of education, or wealth or University Degree in Theology. You chose people from different walks of life, who were to play different roles. I pray that You continue to call people as You did in these times regardless of what the world considers as being merit or of value Amen.
²⁰ Then he went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 20)
Oh God, my beloved Father, we cannot live without You this is why we are so demanding because we cannot live without You my God and Father. Every day as in the following song credited to Hebar Vega, we want more of You in our lives.
²¹ When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind."
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 21)
Oh God, my beloved Father people judged You and said that You had gone mad, however, this did not discourage You from fulfilling the plan of God the Father. I have also been labelled many times about my faith in You, however, labels only stick when there is something with which to come in contact. I continue to believe in You my God and Father and this means that I am also ready to pay the price of being one of Your followers Amen.
²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." ²³ And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables. "How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 22 to 24)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for this great lesson in human relations. You did not confront the scribes when they slandered Your name, On the other hand, You turned on those who may have been weak enough to be affected by the poison of the scribes in order to protect us from being harmed. Amen.
²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 25)
Oh God, my Father, this is our problem as Christians and or Roman Catholics we are not united. The evil one can find the cracks of indifference and disharmony and continue to add chaos and a lack of unity among us to keep us forever apart from each other which is not the will of God Amen.
²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 26)
Oh God my beloved Father as You know even in Your Church there is a state of disharmony were not all believers reflect their faith by means of their words and actions. I am sorry that even people such as priests are being accused and proved to be abusers of minors, while the homilies of some do not always match with that of what is written in Your word because they contain slants of politics. I pray that You purge us of such evil Amen.
²⁷ But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 27)
Oh God my Father, the evil one works in a structured way, this evil spirit takes control of our feelings and thoughts and then eventually our senses until it obtains full control and mastery over us, then gradually the person ends up on a path of self-destruction and death. There the evil one, claims the victory of winning the person soul and has made a complete victory. However, You are always by our side ready to protect us. Amen. I pray that we never make a willful decision not to obey You or accept You as the God of our lives because when You go out the evil spirit goes in and takes full control Amen.
²⁸ "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemy they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-³⁰ for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 28 to 30)
Oh Holy Spirit of God, I would pray for Your presence in my dwelling however I am a sinner and am not worthy to welcome You in me, however, You paid the price of my redemption, You broke down the bridge that held us apart and gave me another chance of salvation. I pray that You do not focus on my sins and sinful nature but on my good intentions and sincere love for You Amen.
³¹ Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 31)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for giving me the courage to open my heart to my material or biological father. He is also sending to me on messenger and I am trying to slowly establish a relationship with him, however, at the same time, I am protecting my boundaries for my own good. I pray that You help me with this is no easy relationship Amen.
³² A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him; "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." ³³ And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" ³⁴ And looking at those who sat around him; he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 32 to 35)
Oh, Jesus my Father and friend I am of the same opinion as You. Now that I no longer have a wife snf maybe not even a daughter I have a new family born not of the flesh but of the spirit. This family consists of all those who love You. Your friends are my friends Amen.
Oh God, my Father, I would like to end this third chapter of the Gospel according to St. Mark with the following prayer:
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for the new family that You have given me. Even though I have been rejected by my previous family, You have given me a mother and many brothers and sisters. As You said anybody who loves You is my brother, sister and mother Amen. Thank You Jesus Amen.
²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 25)
Oh God, my Father, this is our problem as Christians and or Roman Catholics we are not united. The evil one can find the cracks of indifference and disharmony and continue to add chaos and a lack of unity among us to keep us forever apart from each other which is not the will of God Amen.
²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 26)
Oh God my beloved Father as You know even in Your Church there is a state of disharmony were not all believers reflect their faith by means of their words and actions. I am sorry that even people such as priests are being accused and proved to be abusers of minors, while the homilies of some do not always match with that of what is written in Your word because they contain slants of politics. I pray that You purge us of such evil Amen.
²⁷ But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 27)
Oh God my Father, the evil one works in a structured way, this evil spirit takes control of our feelings and thoughts and then eventually our senses until it obtains full control and mastery over us, then gradually the person ends up on a path of self-destruction and death. There the evil one, claims the victory of winning the person soul and has made a complete victory. However, You are always by our side ready to protect us. Amen. I pray that we never make a willful decision not to obey You or accept You as the God of our lives because when You go out the evil spirit goes in and takes full control Amen.
²⁸ "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemy they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-³⁰ for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 28 to 30)
Oh Holy Spirit of God, I would pray for Your presence in my dwelling however I am a sinner and am not worthy to welcome You in me, however, You paid the price of my redemption, You broke down the bridge that held us apart and gave me another chance of salvation. I pray that You do not focus on my sins and sinful nature but on my good intentions and sincere love for You Amen.
³¹ Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him.
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verse 31)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for giving me the courage to open my heart to my material or biological father. He is also sending to me on messenger and I am trying to slowly establish a relationship with him, however, at the same time, I am protecting my boundaries for my own good. I pray that You help me with this is no easy relationship Amen.
³² A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him; "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." ³³ And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" ³⁴ And looking at those who sat around him; he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
(The Gospel according to St. Mark Chapter 3 verses 32 to 35)
Oh, Jesus my Father and friend I am of the same opinion as You. Now that I no longer have a wife snf maybe not even a daughter I have a new family born not of the flesh but of the spirit. This family consists of all those who love You. Your friends are my friends Amen.
Oh God, my Father, I would like to end this third chapter of the Gospel according to St. Mark with the following prayer:
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for the new family that You have given me. Even though I have been rejected by my previous family, You have given me a mother and many brothers and sisters. As You said anybody who loves You is my brother, sister and mother Amen. Thank You Jesus Amen.
