Daily Readings - Tue Feb 13 2018

First Reading - James 1.12-18

¹²Blessed is the man who suffers temptation. For when he has been proven, he shall receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him¹³No one should say, when he is tempted, that he was tempted by God. For God does not entice toward evils, and he himself tempts no one¹⁴Yet truly, each one is tempted by his own desires, having been enticed and drawn away¹⁵Thereafter, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. Yet truly sin, when it has been consummated, produces death¹⁶And so, do not choose to go astray, my most beloved brothers¹⁷Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above, descending from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor any shadow of alteration¹⁸For by his own will he produced us through the Word of truth, so that we might be a kind of beginning among his creatures

Gospel - Mark 8.14-21

Mark

Chapter 8

¹⁴And they forgot to take bread. And they did not have any with them in the boat, except one loaf¹⁵And he instructed them, saying: "Consider and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod.¹⁶And they discussed this with one another, saying, "For we have no bread.¹⁷And Jesus, knowing this, said to them: "Why do you consider that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet know or understand? Do you still have blindness in your heart¹⁸Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? Do you not remember¹⁹when I broke the five loves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments you took up?" They said to him, "Twelve.²⁰"And when the seven loaves were among the four thousand, how many baskets of fragments did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven.²¹And he said to them, "How is it that you do not yet understand?

Sermon

In today's readings, we explore themes of temptation, spiritual understanding, and God's providence. The first reading from James reminds us that our struggles with sin arise from our own desires, not from God, who instead showers us with good gifts. The Gospel from Mark illustrates Jesus teaching his disciples to look beyond physical needs, using the metaphor of leaven to warn against hypocrisy and emphasizing spiritual understanding through reminders of his miracles. Both readings, though from different contexts—James addressing early Christians facing trials and Mark depicting Jesus teaching his disciples—unite in their call for spiritual awareness. James highlights the internal battle with sin, while Mark's narrative shows the disciples' initial misunderstanding, urging us to seek deeper spiritual insights rather than being swayed by material concerns. In our daily lives, this teaches us to recognize that our true battles are within and that God's gifts are always good. We are called to trust in His providence and seek spiritual growth, avoiding the leaven of hypocrisy and focusing on the eternal over the temporal. May we embrace this wisdom, striving to perceive the spiritual truths that guide us closer to God.