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 in order for Him to help you correct the mistakes you’ve made. There are various types of problems in life in which you must face obstacles head on, but there are problems that are consciously or unconsciously caused by you, or 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? Take responsibility for your mistakes and examine what your involvement has been, so you can avoid them in the future.
2) Be alert. Jesus asks you to be careful of a pharisaical religious power in which we fall into a certain puritanism that leads us to believe that we are better than others just because we are involved in a religious movement or church group. It is something that will easily go to your head, and it’s hard to let go of it. Furthermore, you must be careful not to seek power in your workplace in the Herodian style in which you become 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) Do you still not understand? Learn to trust God always, including when you make mistakes. Abandon yourself to God realizing you are not perfect and that you 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 in him and remember everything that God has been doing 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. Don’t forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
