He [Jesus] went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. Matthew 4:23
We generally stay on the move in life doing one thing or another. And here in the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus on the move and the Gospels on the Go. We see what was important to God, which is exactly who Jesus is. Jesus is God (Mark 6:50).
Because of Christ we come to know the God we cannot see. – Pope Paul VI
It is of my opinion this is one of the most important things to understand and appreciate about the Christian Faith. Jesus is God! He is the same God that created the earth, sun and the entire universe.
Blessed the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD, his God, The maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, Who keeps faith forever, Psalms 146:5-6
I recently purchased The Great Adventure Bible by Ascension Press. Do you know what I like about this Bible? It has all of Jesus’ words written in red font.
If Christ were not true God, he would not be able to bring us healing; if he were not true man, he would not be able to give us an example. – St. Leo the Great
Christ’s precious blood heals the wounds within you. Christ’s eternal Word gives you a path to follow during your brief sojourn here on earth.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
If only we all could all love the Way Jesus loves us. I must admit, I think it is the simplest yet most challenging commandment in the Gospels, the commandment given to us from above to love God and love one another.
One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31
This is exactly what Jesus did in the Gospels. He proved his love to the Father and for each of us through his saving passion on the cross.
Jesus never sinned; yet he was crucified for you. – St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Through my years of growth in Christian discipleship I think that is another very important thing to understand about Jesus.
Jesus was crucified for you.
Think about it in singular terms….the betrayal, the abandonment, the mocking, the scourging, the exhausting carrying of the cross, the crucifixion, and the complete self-emptying out, to the very last drop of Jesus’ precious blood we drink from the chalice was done out of love – for you.
For our fathers, water flowed from the rock; for you, blood flows from Christ. – St. Ambrose
I love smooth jazz. I love to listen to smooth jazz music while I work or write. There is a smooth jazz song, Love is a Power, by Paul Hardcastle. So true. The love Christ has for each of us cannot be contained. When Jesus stretched out his hands on the cross, he showed us his love reaches out from one end of the universe to the other.
The flames of the Lord’s love burn beyond the stars. – St. Columban
And the whole of this love of Christ that the entire universe and eternity itself cannot contain can be found within your own heart.
No one can corrupt or harden your heart if you stay true to Jesus in the Gospels.
The spirit of Jesus within you should be safeguarded and cultivated through prayer and the reading of the Word. It should be fortified by the holy sacraments, especially in partaking of the Eucharist. This is why Jesus died on the cross for you and me.
With all vigilance guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life. Proverbs 4:23
This responsibility entrusted to each of us traces all the way back to Adam in the Garden of Eden.
The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. Genesis 2:15
Adam was blessed to have a wife, Eve. But we know who else was in the garden. Unfortunately, it was the serpent, the devil. And he wants nothing more than to deceive, divide and destroy. He wants to take away our share in the tree of life.
By the purple robe Jesus signified his kingship, by the reed he hinted at the weakness and rottenness of the devil’s power. – Theodoret of Cyr
If you try to arm wrestle with the devil in life you’re going to lose every time. He’s just too strong. But there is one infinitely stronger, and we find that strength in Jesus.
I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me. Get up, let us go. John 14:30-31
Gospels on the Go! We go to our parish on Sundays and listen to the proclamation of the Word. We go to the altar with our gifts of stewardship for the sake of the Tree of Life. We go to communion and received the body of Christ in the Eucharist and the precious blood of Christ in the chalice. We go out and proclaim the light of the Word to others through the Spirit of Jesus working in our lives.
Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. – St. Francis of Assisi