And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel.

Now there were shepherds nearby living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people:

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death.

but (because they assumed that he was in their group of travelers) they went a day’s journey. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances.

But he replied, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low, and the crooked will be made straight, and the rough ways will be made smooth,

While the people were filled with anticipation and they all wondered whether perhaps John could be the Christ,

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him.

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, yet none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

“Ha! Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.”

Now Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God.

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

Just then some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus.

So Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God.

Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.