Reflection for Tuesday February 14, Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop; Mark 8:14-21

Gospel: 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?”

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Reflection:

Do you allow the enticement of this world to take off your focus on Jesus? For example the Sunday obligation to celebrate Holy Mass. Many of us today sometimes do not pay much attention to the highest form of worship inside the church. We sacrifice it for our man worldly undertaking that only pull us away from Jesus. Do you allow this to happen to you?

In the gospel Jesus admonished his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. He used the leaven as a metaphor that they should not be convinced by the inducement of the Pharisees and Herod to leave him for them.

Both the Pharisees and Herod represents power, the power of religion and government which for all intents and purposes are worldly and temporary. Jesus was actually telling His disciples not to leave Him for what they represent. In effect Jesus was telling them not to favor the world over their love for God.

The secular world has many inducements such as: power, money, greed, popularity, lust, ego, self-centeredness etc… We should be careful of these worldly appendages, we should not let ourselves be deceived by these temporal inducements.

Let us rather continue be steadfast with our love, fellowship and fidelity with Jesus through our words and actions. For what would we gain if we have all the things that this world can if we don’t have God? – Marino J. Dasmarinas