MARK 12: 35-37 MORE THAN WE EXPECT 

Year A, Friday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks a question that leaves people thinking: How can the Messiah be merely David’s son if David himself calls Him “Lord”?

At first, this may sound like a difficult theological discussion, but Jesus is doing something important. He is inviting people to see beyond limited expectations. Many expected the Messiah to be a political hero or powerful ruler. But Jesus is far greater—and very different—than they imagined.

That challenge remains for us too. Sometimes we place God inside our own expectations. We want Him to solve problems in our preferred way, answer prayers according to our timetable, or fit comfortably into our understanding. But Jesus gently stretches our vision. God is always more than we expect.

And perhaps this is where faith becomes challenging. We like certainty and control. Yet God often works in surprising ways—through weakness rather than power, through compassion rather than force, through the ordinary moments of life rather than dramatic signs.

The crowds listened to Jesus with delight because His words opened their hearts to something larger than themselves.

Maybe we need that same openness today. Faith is not only about knowing who Jesus is with our minds. It is about allowing Him to be Lord of our lives—not the Jesus we create in our image, but the living Christ who continues to surprise, challenge, and guide us.

Question to ponder today: Have I limited God to my own expectations—or am I open to discovering Christ more deeply and letting Him lead me beyond my comfort?

With Love and Prayers

Your Co-Traveler

Father Leo