Gospel 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?”
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?”
In today's reading, Jesus and the disciples are clearly not on the same page. The disciples are worried about their next meal - despite having seen Jesus multiply the loaves and fishes. It's a reflection of human nature isn't it? We tend to see what's right in front of us. And when we look around we find a lot to worry about. But the disciples are missing the bigger picture - the Pharisees and Herod don't take kindly to Jesus and are out to get him. The threat is so troubling that there is nothing more he would like than for the disciples to understand the gravity of His circumstances: "Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?" His plea rings true even today. In the movie Gravity, there were breathtaking views of earth from space - from that perspective, there are no countries, cities, or people - it's as if the planet is one big ball of energy - spinning, swirling, and changing in its own timeless way. When I look at my "problems" from this perspective, it's almost as if they are mere specks of dust! I am at my best when I don't get side-tracked by the small day-to-day worries. I am at my best when I take a step back and see God's plan in all of its perfection.
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