Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? (Mk 8:14-21)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Letter of James. Jas 1:12-18
Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,
for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life
that he promised to those who love him.
No one experiencing temptation should say,
“I am being tempted by God”;
for God is not subject to temptation to evil,
and he himself tempts no one.
Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire.
Then desire conceives and brings forth sin,
and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters:
all good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.
He willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 8:14-21
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.”
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”
They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”
They answered him, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
The Word of God for Everyone
Dear People of God,
The Word of God today talks about: being aware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. What relevance do Jesus’ words to His disciples have for us today?
The words that Jesus taught his disciples in the past still exist today, and those words are still taught to people in today’s world, under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He taught His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. What is that yeast? It is arrogance, hypocrisy, keeping formal rules, loving profit, lust, power, position, and fame. God the Father knows that when the disciples go into that environment, more or less they will encounter bad yeast. So, Jesus reminded His disciples to be on guard, but did His disciples hear His teachings? The disciples are still passionate about earthly profits and material things right in front of them. They thought that because they did not bring bread with them, they were rebuked by God. Because Jesus knew that His disciples did not understand His teachings about spiritual life and the Kingdom of Heaven, He strengthened their faith by reminding them that He had performed many miracles of multiplying loaves. The Lord showed His disciples that God can do all things. But what God requires of them is the life of the Kingdom of Heaven in the future, a spiritual life, a humble life, a heart of worship and love for God, and faith in His power and strength.
The words God taught His disciples in the past, God also wants us to live and practice those teachings today, with the impact of the Holy Spirit’s grace, because this era is the era of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in order to live the teachings of God, we need to rely on and pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit. Like the disciples of old, we are also invited in life to guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. These are arrogance, hypocrisy, love of profit, status, money and lust. Nowadays, Satan is raging all over the world, tempting us a lot. Therefore, God wants us to live and follow His teachings by accepting the leaven of the Kingdom of Heaven. These are humility, gentleness, simplicity, fasting, constant prayer to God, and a life of faith, believing in God alone.
Thanks be to God. Amen
