Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 71

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 71

Reading 1

DT 18:15-20

Moses spoke to all the people, saying:

“A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you

from among your own kin;

to him you shall listen.

This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb

on the day of the assembly, when you said,

‘Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,

nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.’

And the LORD said to me, ‘This was well said.

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,

and will put my words into his mouth;

he shall tell them all that I command him.

Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,

I myself will make him answer for it.

But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name

an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,

or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.’”

Responsorial Psalm

PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;

let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

For he is our God,

and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:

“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,

as in the day of Massah in the desert,

Where your fathers tempted me;

they tested me though they had seen my works.”

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2

1 COR 7:32-35

Brothers and sisters:

I should like you to be free of anxieties.

An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,

how he may please the Lord.

But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,

how he may please his wife, and he is divided.

An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,

so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.

A married woman, on the other hand,

is anxious about the things of the world,

how she may please her husband. 

I am telling you this for your own benefit,

not to impose a restraint upon you,

but for the sake of propriety

and adherence to the Lord without distraction.

Alleluia

MT 4:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light;

on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death,

light has arisen.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MK 1:21-28

Then they came to Capernaum,

and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.

The people were astonished at his teaching,

for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;

he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

Have you come to destroy us?

I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Jesus rebuked him and said,

“Quiet! Come out of him!”

The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

All were amazed and asked one another,

“What is this?

A new teaching with authority.

He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”

His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Where are You?

Where are You?

    Where are you? Where are you in your life? Your spiritual life? Start asking yourself these questions. Then follow them up with... Where do you want to be? Where do you want your life to be? Your spiritual life? It is only 3 weeks till Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. As for those of you who have read my blog in the past, you know Lent is one of my favorite times of the year. Only second to the Triduum. At least once a week until the start of Lent I will discuss and share some ideas how to make Lent a life changing time for you and myself as well. 

    Seriously start think about it. Pray about it. Ask about it. Search for it. Nothing is to small to change or too big. Think on one great thing or small things. You will be the better for it. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and start the planning for Lent. 

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 321

Reading 1

HEB 10:32-39

Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, 

you endured a great contest of suffering.

At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; 

at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated.

You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison 

and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, 

knowing that you had a better and lasting possession.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; 

it will have great recompense.

You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

For, after just a brief moment,

he who is to come shall come;

he shall not delay.

But my just one shall live by faith,

and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.

We are not among those who draw back and perish, 

but among those who have faith and will possess life.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 37:3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40

R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Trust in the LORD and do good,

that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will grant you your heart’s requests.

R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Commit to the LORD your way;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will make justice dawn for you like the light;

bright as the noonday shall be your vindication. 

R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm, 

and he approves his way.

Though he fall, he does not lie prostrate,

for the hand of the LORD sustains him.

R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

The salvation of the just is from the LORD;

he is their refuge in time of distress.

And the LORD helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Alleluia

SEE MT 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MK 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:

“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come.”

He said,

“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

"Warning"

"WARNING"

    As I sit down to write todays blog there is a “Blizzard Warning” for my area and they are saying we can get up to two feet of snow. Because of this, the stores were packed and people were out in droves to get supplies. This gets me thinking about how we are all set and prepare ourselves only when we hear of the impending “doom” that will come. That each snow storm it is the same no matter what. Yet, when it comes to our lives and more directly our spiritual life, our faith, a good amount of us are not ready nor do we prepare. 

    We hear during Advent to “prepare the way”. We are told during Lent “Repent, and believe in the Gospel”. Yet, we do not scurry and run to confession, grab our bibles and read the word of God, we do not go down on our knees and pray, we do not grab the rosary and ask the saints for intercessions. But.... when we hear snow, something that could be from two inches to two feet people react the same. Yet... when the outcome may be Heaven or Hell, we sit back. Realistically think when you have gone to the store for the “supplies” did you reallllllllly need to? Did you have stuff at home that would have more then covered it for the day or the most two days that you may not leave home?These “storms” we prepare for are short term, but our spiritual life goes into eternity. 

    We do not know when we will take our last breath. Why then are we not prepared or stocking up on “spiritual growth”? My personal thought is many feel they have time. Many think of the now and the future can wait. If we could see the weather forecast, say for the next month for sure, no chance of it being wrong... would we stock up in advance or wait till the day before? Let’s face it. We know we will all die at some point. It is a guarantee. The “storms” that are predicted can change and end up being nothing at all. Yet, we still prepare for something that is uncertain and not prepare for what is certain. Death is certain. Standing before the Trinity is certain. Why not prepare? Focus on the certain things in life and fully put our all in those certainties. 

   Our eternity is in our grip. How we prepare or not is under our 100% control. We have been told. We have heard in 2 Peter 3: 10:

“ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,^* and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.”  

Then later on in verse 17: 

“ Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability.” 

We have been forewarned. Forewarned by the Prophets, by John the Baptist, by Matthew, by Mark, by Luke, by John, by Peter, by Paul and most importantly by Jesus. Now act on it. 

      Live each day as your soul depends on it. Cause it does. Stock up on spiritual blessings. Unlike what we stock up with when a storm is coming, these spiritual blessings will never go bad. They will last through eternity. For those we are around my area and who are all stocked up for the storm, I ask that you take some time and stock up on those spiritual blessings. Put down the remote and pick up the Bible to read. Read something about a Saint. Watch the Bible series. Pray. These are the things we all need to stock up on. They will not just get us through the storms of life but gets us right through eternity. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and Be safe and Prepare. 

Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 318

Reading 1

HEB 10:1-10

Brothers and sisters:

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, 

and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect 

those who come to worship by the same sacrifices 

that they offer continually each year.

Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, 

since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer 

have had any consciousness of sins?

But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, 

for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats 

take away sins.

For this reason, when he came into the world, he said:

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

but a body you prepared for me;

in burnt offerings and sin offerings you took no delight.

Then I said, As is written of me in the scroll,

Behold, I come to do your will, O God.

First he says, Sacrifices and offerings, 

burnt offerings and sin offerings,

you neither desired nor delighted in.

These are offered according to the law.

Then he says, Behold, I come to do your will.

He takes away the first to establish the second.

By this “will,” we have been consecrated 

through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 40:2 AND 4AB, 7-8A, 10, 11

R. (8a and 9a) Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

I have waited, waited for the LORD,

and he stooped toward me.

And he put a new song into my mouth,

a hymn to our God.

R. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,

but ears open to obedience you gave me.

Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;

then said I, “Behold I come.”

R. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;

I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

R. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;

your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;

I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth

in the vast assembly.

R. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

Alleluia

SEE MT 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MK 3:31-35

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.

Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.

A crowd seated around him told him,

“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters

are outside asking for you.”

But he said to them in reply,

“Who are my mother and my brothers?”

And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,

“Here are my mother and my brothers.

For whoever does the will of God

is my brother and sister and mother.”

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 68

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 68

Reading 1

JON 3:1-5, 10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying:

“Set out for the great city of Nineveh,

and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”

So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,

according to the LORD’S bidding.

Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;

it took three days to go through it.

Jonah began his journey through the city,

and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,

“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed, “

when the people of Nineveh believed God;

they proclaimed a fast

and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,

he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;

he did not carry it out.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (4a) Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;

teach me your paths,

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my savior.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,

and your love are from of old.

In your kindness remember me,

because of your goodness, O LORD.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Good and upright is the LORD;

thus he shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble to justice

and teaches the humble his way.

R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Reading 2

1 COR 7:29-31

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out.

From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,

those weeping as not weeping,

those rejoicing as not rejoicing,

those buying as not owning, 

those using the world as not using it fully.

For the world in its present form is passing away.

Alleluia

MK 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent and believe in the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MK 1:14-20

After John had been arrested,

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:

“This is the time of fulfillment.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,

he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;

they were fishermen.

Jesus said to them,

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

He walked along a little farther

and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

They too were in a boat mending their nets.

Then he called them.

So they left their father Zebedee in the boat

along with the hired men and followed him.

Prayer Request

Prayer Request

    I am asking for prayers for the repose of the soul of Father O'Leary. Today (Friday Jan 23rd) his body will be laid to rest. Last night as I sat at the service/wake for Father I was amazed at the years of service He gave to the Church as a Priest. Almost 62 years since His ordination. Seeing him dressed as a Priest as He laid in the coffin was unreal. 

    May His family and friends feel comfort and be able to turn to one another during this time. Father O'Leary was and will always be a Good & Holy Man that was ordained as a Priest. I always admired Him and had a great deal of respect. It was an honor to know Him and a blessing to have Him as our Priest.  

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him,

may he and all the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God,

rest in peace.

Amen

March for Life 2015: Night before

March for Life 2015

  Today marks the 42nd  anniversary of Roe V Wade where it became legal for women to get abortions. People will gather and march in DC and other areas in the US. I am asking that you stop and say a prayer or the rosary for the lives that have been lost.  Check out this video about life below or click here. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may we pray to end abortion. 

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

Lectionary: 314

Reading 1

HEB 7:25—8:6

Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,

since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: 

holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, 

higher than the heavens.

He has no need, as did the high priests, 

to offer sacrifice day after day,

first for his own sins and then for those of the people; 

he did that once for all when he offered himself.

For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, 

but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, 

appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.

The main point of what has been said is this: 

we have such a high priest, 

who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne

of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary 

and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.

Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; 

thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer.

If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest, 

since there are those who offer gifts according to the law.

They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,

as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle.

For God says, “See that you make everything 

according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry 

as he is mediator of a better covenant, 

enacted on better promises.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 40:7-8A, 8B-9, 10, 17

R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,

but ears open to obedience you gave me.

Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;

then said I, “Behold I come.”

R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,

To do your will, O my God, is my delight,

and your law is within my heart!”

R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;

I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know. 

R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

May all who seek you

exult and be glad in you,

And may those who love your salvation

say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”

R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Alleluia

SEE 2 TM 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death

and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MK 3:7-12

Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.

A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.

Hearing what he was doing, 

a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, 

from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, 

and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.

He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, 

so that they would not crush him.

He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases

were pressing upon him to touch him.

And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him 

and shout, “You are the Son of God.”

He warned them sternly not to make him known.

What Men Can Learn...

What Men Can Learn from the Eucharist

by Sam Guzman

     If the Blessed Sacrament is Jesus himself, and holiness is found in imitating Christ, then the Blessed Sacrament is a school of holiness. Today, I want to spend a few moments reflecting on the characteristics of Jesus in the Eucharist and what his presence can teach us about both holiness and masculinity.

1. HUMILITY

In the Blessed Sacrament, we see the profound humility of Jesus Christ. Here, the Eternal Wisdom of God who made all things, the brightness of the Eternal Father, condescends to come among us in the form of the most ordinary food. After all, bread is simple fare, the food of the poor. Unlike a fine cut of meat, bread is almost always eaten as a side that is hardly noticed.

If we are to imitate Christ, we must first and foremost practice humility. The servant is not greater than his Master. We must be content to be unnoticed, unpraised, and unappreciated. We must give all glory to God, choosing to be humble and unassuming—like a piece of bread.

2. SILENCE

Men have always cherished quiet strength, strength that is demonstrated more by deeds than empty words. In the Eucharistic host, Jesus greets us with complete silence. He is ready to listen to all that we have to say, and he only speaks in return when we have quieted our hearts and are completely silent as he is. And finally, he is ready to act on our behalf if we only have confidence in his promises.

The saints constantly praise the virtue of silence, and we are warned that we will be judged for every idle word. Do we waste words? More than this, do we hear what others are saying? As men, we often struggle to listen, and yet listening is an act of love. Listen to your wife or those others around you who may be desperate for someone to pay attention.

3. LOVE

Almost every Eucharistic miracle on record has the host turning into the flesh of a human heart. This is not random. In the Blessed Sacrament, Christ’s beating heart burns with love for us, and he longs for our love in return. On the cross, Christ literally died of a broken heart for love of sinful humanity, pouring out his precious blood to win our affection. Yes, more than anything, it is love that Jesus desires most from those whom he has redeemed, and if he could have done anything more to secure it, he would have done so.

Do you love Christ? If so, you will obey him and carry your cross after him. You will imitate him by laying down your life for others in sacrificial love.

4. VULNERABILITY

In the host, Christ is completely and totally vulnerable. Far too often, he is mistreated and abused, ignored and maligned, treated casually and without dignity. Yet, this is the price he is willing to pay to live among his people. No matter how many times he is profaned and trampled upon, literally or figuratively, he continues to come to us again and again, saying “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

Do we love in this way? Do we open our hearts to others, even though it may mean the pain of rejection? Do we forgive 70 times 7? We cannot love if we close our hearts in fear. We must be courageously vulnerable — like Christ.

5. PATIENCE

Christ waits patiently for you and me in tabernacles and monstrances around the world. He would wait an eternity for a single visit. He waits for us to repent when we stray; he waits for our words of allegiance and affection; he waits to hear of our joys and sorrows; he waits to answer our deepest desires.

Like Christ, we too must be patient with others, especially with those who least deserve it or who try our patience the most. We must also wait with forgiving hearts for those who have harmed or abandoned us to return. 

6. POVERTY

During his life on earth, Christ was completely poor. He came to earth with nothing and left with nothing. In the Eucharistic host, he who created the galaxies again comes to us poor and naked. And yet, this poverty is only material, for Jesus comes to us rich in grace and in love. He ardently desires to give us all that we need if only we ask with confidence. He wants to bless us with an abundance of graces, which are the true riches of the soul.

Materialism and greed creep into our hearts so easily. Yet, we are called to follow Christ in poverty and detachment, giving generously to others of all that we have received. Give, and it will be given to you — more than you can ask or hope.

7. PRESENCE

The gift of God’s presence is the greatest gift. To the ancient Israelites, there was no greater calamity than the withdrawing of the presence of the Lord. Likewise, there was no greater comfort than the assurance of his presence.

It is the same today. If we have Jesus, we possess all things; without him, we have nothing. Yet, we do not have to travel far to find the presence of Christ—he is as close as the nearest parish, the fulfillment of the ancient “bread of the presence” in the Jewish temple. Nor is his presence an abstraction or an idea; it is real and tangible to our senses. We Catholics can joyfully and truthfully say, “The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.”

If we are to imitate Christ, we must be present to those who need us. How many absentee fathers and husbands there are! How many wives and children have been abandoned by the man who is called to lay down his life for them. Are you present to your family? Are your wife and children your priority? If you are a husband and father, your presence is an irreplaceable gift. Be present.

CONCLUSION

If we imitated Christ in the Blessed Sacrament perfectly, we would be saints. But doing so is not easy. It requires constant repentance and conversion of life; a putting off of the old man and putting on of the new. This is our calling.

I encourage all of you to find an adoration chapel and to contemplate the Blessed Sacrament. Visit Jesus and adore him, asking for the grace to follow and imitate him completely. Pour out your heart to him, tell him your hopes and fears, your wants and needs — and hear him say in return those words of sacrament and salvation, “Lo, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.”

Sam Guzman 

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Lectionary: 313

Reading 1

HEB 7:1-3, 15-17

Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,

met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings

and blessed him.

And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything.

His name first means righteous king,

and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace.

Without father, mother, or ancestry,

without beginning of days or end of life,

thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up

after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so,

not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent

but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.

For it is testified:

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand

till I make your enemies your footstool.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:

“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;

before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:

“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Alleluia

SEE MT 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom

and cured every disease among the people.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

MK 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue.

There was a man there who had a withered hand.

They watched Jesus closely

to see if he would cure him on the sabbath

so that they might accuse him.

He said to the man with the withered hand,

“Come up here before us.”

Then he said to the Pharisees,

“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?”

But they remained silent.

Looking around at them with anger

and grieved at their hardness of heart,

Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

He stretched it out and his hand was restored.

The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel

with the Herodians against him to put him to death.