A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS

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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS HEART OF CATECHESIS LEPROSY Prior to the advent of antibiotics, Leprosy was a disease that spread

In Jesus time people with Leprosy (Lepers) were considered unclean and had to be isolated from society.

To prevent contact with others, they wore black clothing and a hood covering their faces.

While Saint Francis of Assisi was young and still living a privileged life, he was strongly repulsed by lepers.

It was as if he experienced an epiphany. He quickly dismounted his horse and kissed the leper.

[Mark 1:23-24] Sacred Scripture records only a few people who called Jesus by name.

1 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS HEART OF CATECHESIS LEPROSY Prior to the advent of antibiotics, Leprosy was a disease that spread quickly and could not be cured. Bacteria would invade the skin and cause open sores that would not heal. In Jesus time people with Leprosy (Lepers) were considered unclean and had to be isolated from society. Wherever they went they had to cry out, unclean, unclean. To prevent contact with others, they wore black clothing and a hood covering their faces. They were not permitted to live within the city walls. While Saint Francis of Assisi was young and still living a privileged life, he was strongly repulsed by lepers. It almost amounted to a phobia. One day while riding his horse down a country road, Francis encountered a leper. It was as if he experienced an epiphany. He quickly dismounted his horse and kissed the leper. Legend has it that as Francis moved down the road and looked back, the leper disappeared, as if he had been a divine vision. DID YOU KNOW? In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? [Mark 1:23-24] Sacred Scripture records only a few people who called Jesus by name. Demoniacs, Lepers, Blind Beggars, and the Good Thief to name a few. Can you think of any others? Matthew 21:30, Mark 1:24, 5:7 Luke 4:34, 17:13, 18:38, 23:42 JESUS CHRIST...SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN Lesson 10 PARENTS & CATECHISTS READING REFLECTION & PRAYER Sacred Scripture MARK 1:1-45 Quiet Prayer Heal the sick Preach the Good News Cast out Demons Call The Apostles Cast out Demons Preach the Good News Travel far and wide Heal the sick Quiet Prayer Be about my Father s Business Paintings from the Life of Jesus James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum, New York Catechism of the Catholic Church #550, 1673, 2602 #

Page 2 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS Sacred Scripture Grades K-4 New Catholic Picture Bible pp. 148-149 A Possessed Man pp.

2 Page 2 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS Sacred Scripture Grades K-4 New Catholic Picture Bible pp A Possessed Man pp The Leper in Galilee (paragraphs 6-8) Grades 5-12 MARK 1:1-45 Catechism STUDENTS READING REFLECTION & PRAYER Grades K-2 First Communion Catechism pp. n/a Grades 3-6 Baltimore Catechism #1 pp Grades 7-12 Catechism of the Catholic Church #550, 1673, 2602 # TEACHING STRATEGY & OBJECTIVES THEME: JESUS DAY WAS FILLED WITH MANY ACTIVITIES AS HE WENT ABOUT HIS FATHER S BUSINESS OBJECTIVES: Read and Discuss Mark 1:1-45 and emphasize these important points: Jesus public ministry was carried out in a very short time frame His days were full and required multitasking as He: Healed the sick in both body and soul Traveled throughout the region preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God Called and taught His Apostles so they could carry on His saving mission Spent quiet time in prayer OPENING PRAYER: HAIL HOLY QUEEN Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valle, of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus; O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

3 JESUS CHRIST...SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN Lesson 10 Page 3 REVIEW TERMS COVERED IN LESSONS 8 AND 9: THE INCARNATION CONFESSION TRUTH GRACE HOLY ORDERS MYSTERY SIN FAITH MORTAL SIN PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW TERMS REVIEW: Map designed using Bible Mapper 4.3 WHERE AND WHEN ARE THESE EVENTS IN JESUS LIFE TAKING PLACE? Jesus Public Ministry began with His Baptism which most likely took place in December of the year 27 AD. Jesus then was driven out into the desert by the Holy Spirit and was there for over 40 days. In late winter He returned to the Jordan River where the Baptist was still preparing the people for the Messiah. The Baptist pointed to Jesus and cried out, Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the Sins of the World! Two of the Baptist s followers Andrew and John began to follow Jesus that day. Soon Simon [Peter] and Nathaniel joined them; then Philip became a part of the band. Although at times Jesus traveled north with the group [to Cana and Capharnum in Galilee, and to Sychar in Samaria] most of His ministry during these early months appears to have taken place in the city of Jerusalem [the Cleansing of the Temple, Nicodemus, the Healing of the Paralytic] and in the territory of Judea. After the arrest of the Baptist in late spring of the year 28 AD, Jesus shifts the focus of His Public Ministry to the territory of Galilee. Here it appears He spent over a year [about 15 months] preaching, teaching, and healing. Galilee was quite different from Judea. The Judean territory was largely semi-arid steppe and plains very much like the land at the edge of a great desert. Judeans tended to be more sophisticated and better educated than their Galilean brethren to the north. [Compare the depth and complexity of Jesus discourses in John 3 and John 5 with the simple parables and pithy sayings that were the heart of His teaching to the Galileans in MT 13]. Unlike the Judeans, the Galileans were rough and ready rebs ; simple and straightforward in their ways and passionate in their love for their Roman-occupied land. Being from Nazareth, Jesus Himself was a Galilean! So were all of His Apostles with one exception the man from Kerioth Judas. The lucid, fresh-water lake, called the Sea of Galilee is the most prominent feature of the territory. And it is along the shores of this sea and indeed, on its waters, where Jesus spends much of this Galilean Period of His Ministry roughly from Late Spring of 28 until Early Fall of the year 29 AD.

JESUS CHRIST...SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN Lesson 10 Page 4 READINGS FROM SACRED SCRIPTURE: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS MARK 1:1-45 WHAT IS A SYNAGOGUE, AND WHAT IS JESUS DOING THERE?

4 JESUS CHRIST...SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN Lesson 10 Page 4 READINGS FROM SACRED SCRIPTURE: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS MARK 1:1-45 WHAT IS A SYNAGOGUE, AND WHAT IS JESUS DOING THERE? Jewish Worship in Jesus time was based on the Old Testament Covenant and the cult of animal sacrifices [extensively described in the Book of Leviticus]. Different kinds of animals [sheep, goats, bulls, lambs and even doves] were slaughtered and cut up and portioned out in various ways. The ritual work of priests of the Old Covenant was very much like the work of our modern day butchers! These sacrifices were offered legitimately REVIEW: only in one place; the Temple in Jerusalem. This is why people of the Jewish faith [like Mary and Joseph and Jesus] often traveled travel many many miles often three times each year to offer formal worship to God. Most of the Jews lived far away from Jerusalem not merely in distant territories like Galilee, but also scattered throughout the world. They could not participate directly in Temple Worship but they could meet and pray and ponder the Scriptures of the Old Testament in their own Liturgy of the Word and this is how the Jews prayed together and stayed together in their own communities. These houses of worship were called synagogues in Hebrew beit ha-kneset which means House of Assembly. In the Gospel passage we ponder this week we see Jesus reading the Word of God and teaching before the gathered synagogue assembly. THIS MATERIAL AND DISCUSSION OF DEMONIC POSSESSION SHOULD BE HANDLED VERY CAREFULLY ESPECIALLY WITH OUR YOUNGER STUDENTS. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE DEMONIAC? When a human person is not in a State of Grace with the Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit within them, they are vulnerable to attacks from the devil or other dark angels (demons). Although ordinarily the dark angels only have limited ability to influence our memory, imagination, or passions, sometimes they exercise their power in a more extraordinary and frightening way possession. At times dark angels seem to move in or inhabit a human person. We see this a number of times in the Gospels [MK 5:1 20 MT 8:28 34 LK 8:26 39]. A person who is given over to the powers of darkness like this acts very strangely gashing themselves with stones, smashing chains, rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth, or even speaking about things that they ordinarily would not know about like the man in the Gospel today who shouts at Jesus [verses 23 24]. THE MAN WHO IS POSSESSED SAYS THAT JESUS IS THE HOLY ONE OF GOD WHICH IS TRUE SO WHY DOES JESUS SILENCE HIM? Jesus Heals the Demoniac Gustave Dore, 1865 Many experts, specialists, and scholars make a great deal of this. Entire books have been written on The Messianic Secret, and such things. The answer is most likely quite simple: 1. Jesus is the Son of God. He is His Own Testimony. Others called by God are entrusted with the mission to proclaim His coming John the Baptist, our Blessed Mother, and later, the Apostles [and even us!] But the Son of God does not want or accept the testimony of demons! 2. Jesus mission is still in the early stages. He needs time to make the rounds and reach a wider audience. If it became widely known during these early months of His Public Ministry, the crowds would most likely get out of hand. Jesus would prematurely attract the unwanted attention of the authorities in power for instance, the Herodians and the Romans. Like the Baptist, He would probably have been arrested before He had completed His mission teaching and preaching. We know Jesus eventually was arrested and crucified under Pontius Pilate, but these things were ordained to take place in His Hour and in accordance with His Father s Plan!

5 Page 5 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS HOW IS JESUS TEACHING STYLE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE USED TO? [see verses 22 & 27] The Jews of Jesus time were among the best educated people in the world. In our time in history we take the ability to read and write for granted; in Jesus time the common man throughout the world was not usually able to read or write. Jewish religion and culture ordinarily saw to it that their young boys were able to read so that they could study and ponder the scriptures and become a Son of the Law [Bar-mitzvah]. The teachers of the people the Pharisees, the Sadducees [priests], and their scribes tended to be experts. Instead of understanding and clearly explaining the scriptures, they were derivative in their approach; great experts quoting other great experts. This is as boring as it sounds! One modern sage captured this phenomenon quite effectively after a particularly long and boring homily in his local parish; that fellow is educated beyond his intelligence. Another wit commented, They were specialists; someone who knows more and more about less and less. Jesus was entirely different in His approach. He is not merely teaching the Word of God He IS the Word of God the Mind of God Eternal Wisdom Itself. JESUS CHRIST is THE SECOND PERSON OF THE HOLY TRINI- TY MADE MAN; THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF THE FATHER. So when Jesus taught, he did not quote Rabbi so-and-so or this Master or that Doctor of the Law He taught on His own Authority fully understanding and living Himself the Truth that He proclaimed and exemplified. Those with open minds and receptive hearts were immediately aware of Christ s uniqueness and responded by putting their faith in Him. WAS SIMON PETER MARRIED? Many people when they first carefully consider this story think, Hey if Simon has a mother-in-law, he has a wife! And I thought Roman Catholic priests were not allowed to get married! This is a legitimate observation. Several things to consider: 1. Although Simon s mother-in-law is mentioned, there is no mention that his wife was active in his ministry or even that she is even living at this time. Simon Peter may have been a widower. 2. In certain extraordinary circumstances, men who are ordained as Roman Catholic Priests may be able to continue living in the married state with their wives. Also, priests of the Eastern Rites [Greek Orthodox or priests of the Byzantine Rite] are permitted to be married if they are already married at the time of their ordination. 3. This does not change, however, Our Lord s strong preference that those who follow Him in the priesthood embrace celibacy so that they may give themselves to Him and to the Church with undivided hearts [see CCC #1579]. IN MARK 1:35 WE SEE JESUS GOING OFF BY HIMSELF TO PRAY. IF JESUS IS GOD, WHY DID HE HAVE TO PRAY? Remember; God is Three Persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are eternally in relationship with each other and communicate with each other with Word and Love. When the Second Person of the Holy Trinity became Man in the Mystery of the Incarnation He possessed two Natures God and Man. Jesus Christ, a Divine Person with a Human Nature, still communicated with His Father, in and through their Holy Spirit. PRAYER IS LOVING CONVERSATION WITH GOD and Christ certainly prayed! He didn t have to pray; He wanted to pray because Jesus loves His Father and their Spirit. WHAT DID JESUS PRAY ABOUT? Perhaps in this week s reading Jesus was praying for His Apostles, or giving thanks to His Father for helping Him to cure Peter s mother-in-law and the many other sick people He ministered to the day before. Most of the time Jesus prayer is personal and private and we do not know what He is saying to His Father. But occasionally the Gospels do tell us what Jesus says to His Father; [e.g. LK 10:21 22 and JN 11:41 42 and MK 14:35 36].

6 Page 6 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS WHAT DOES THE STORY OF THE LEPER TEACH US ABOUT JESUS? In Jesus time, to have the disease of leprosy was one of the most horrifying and awful things that could happen to a person. The germs that cause this disease work in several different ways. As they invade the body, the skin of the infected person begins to rot with terrible sores which get bigger and bigger. Some forms of leprosy attack the face; the nose and the ears rot and fall off as do fingers, and hands. People with this disease have a terrible stench, and they must keep wrapping themselves up in filthy rags to keep flies and bugs away. They were called the living dead. To protect healthy people around them from the disease, lepers were cast out of their houses and communities and were forced to go off and live with each other. They were not supposed to approach too closely to people without the disease so a father could not visit his family in their home, and a daughter with the disease could never hug her mother again. If you were a leper and needed to talk to healthy people or to ask them for food and help, you had to stand far off [at least 39 steps away] and shout, Unclean! to warn them to stay away from you. There was no cure for leprosy, and very often people could live for 20 or 30 years with the disease. One of the worst things about having leprosy in Jesus time; it was thought by many that if you had leprosy it was because you had done something evil and that God was punishing you for your sin! [We know this is not true!] But people in the past often looked down on a person with leprosy and thought, Well, they are a sinner, and they deserved it! In the minds of people in Jesus era leprosy became a powerful symbol of how ugly and terrible sin is. In this day in the life of Jesus, we see three rules broken! First, when the leper approaches Jesus, he comes too close! According to the rules he should have stood off at a distance and called out to Christ. Secondly, Jesus breaks a rule; He reaches out and touches the leper. Healthy people were forbidden to touch lepers but we already know that many of the rules in Jesus times were not true and good so Christ was not bound to obey them. I DO WILL IT. BE CURED. With these powerful words, Jesus, the Word of God works a miracle and immediately the leper s repulsive sores began to recede and the rotting face began to repair itself. The leper was a leper no more, but a healthy man. As far as we know from the Scriptures, it had been 800 years since a leper had been cured [see the story of Elisha and Naaman the Syrian, 2 KGS 5:1 27]. Jesus sternly warns him not to tell anyone about the cure, but to go and report the miracle to the priests, offering a sacrifice in thanksgiving for the cure [see LEV 14:1-32]. Here we see the third rule broken; the man miraculously cured of leprosy disobeys Jesus command and goes off and tells everyone he meets about what has happened. Even though Jesus is attempting slowly and carefully to reveal His identity to the crowds, excitement of this sort tended to attract the attention of large groups of people who were looking for signs and miracles people who were more interested in witnessing wonders than they were in listening to Jesus teachings and reforming their lives. Mobs of this sort were not receptive to Jesus preaching, and He often avoided them. Visual Bible Alive

7 JESUS CHRIST...SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN Lesson 10 Page 7 One last thing we see in this story and in others as well. Jesus Miracles show us on a physical level how His power also works on a spiritual level. Leprosy infects the body, causing it to rot and break down, and eventually destroying it. Sin is the leprosy of the soul. Three important terms come into play here SIN VENIAL SIN MORTAL SIN TO ACT AGAINST GOD S WILL SIN WHICH IS NOT SERIOUS, BUT WHICH WEAKENS OUR LIFE IN CHRIST SIN WHICH IS DEATH TO THE SOUL; IT INVOLVES: 1. SERIOUS MATTER 2. FULLY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SIN IS SERIOUS, AND 3. FREELY CHOOSING TO COMMIT THE SIN To act against God s Will weakens our life in Christ. It distorts and disfigures His Image in us and eventually [with mortal sin] drives out the Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit entirely; we are spiritually dead. Just as Jesus healing word cures the leper of his terrible disease, so too Jesus healing words spoken by the priest in the SACRA- MENT OF CONFESSION heal and restore our souls to health and if our souls are dead, they are restored to life when we hear, I absolve you from your sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit Amen.

THE CALL OF THE APOSTLES & THE WEDDING FEAST AT CANA

HEART OF CATECHESIS THE CALL OF THE APOSTLES & THE WEDDING FEAST AT CANA JESUS CHRIST...SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN Lesson 6 Weddings today are a big celebration sometimes lasting a whole day. In Old Testament