Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 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?”

We still do not understand

1) They forgot. I can tell you that these words are the cause of many human mistakes in life. You seek God so that He will help you correct the mistakes you’ve made. There are various types of problems in life where you must face obstacles head on, but there are problems that are caused by you, consciously or unconsciously, that are a product of your recklessness or carelessness. Are you able to recognize your mistakes? How many times have your words or actions led to fires that are hard to put out? Be responsible for your mistakes and examine what your involvement has been, so you can avoid them in the future.

2) Be alert. Jesus asks us to be alert so that we don’t become ‘puritans’, believing we are better than others just because we are involved in a religious movement or church group. Feeling you have some sort of religious power is something that will easily go to your head, and it is hard to let it go. Furthermore, you must be careful not to do anything just to gain or to show power, this may lead you to be like Herod, an expert climber destroying everything and everyone in your path in order to keep your power. These two aspects are present in social and religious situations. We must be careful not to abuse the power given to us.

3) They do not understand. Learn to trust God always, including when you make mistakes. Abandon yourself to God realizing you are not perfect and make mistakes. God will help you decide and solve situations, but you must give Him the space in your life to do His work. Trust and remember that God is always participating in your life. Remember all the obstacles He has helped you overcome. You must be a witness of all of God’s miracles in you.

God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Never forget that Heaven is our goal!