Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop
Lectionary: 334
Lectionary: 334
The LORD God called
to Adam and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
To the woman he said:
“I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing;
in pain shall you bring forth children.
Yet your urge shall be for your husband,
and he shall be your master.”
To the man he said: “Because you listened to your wife
and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat,
“Cursed be the ground because of you!
In toil shall you eat its yield
all the days of your life.
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you,
as you eat of the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
shall you get bread to eat,
Until you return to the ground,
from which you were taken;
For you are dirt,
and to dirt you shall return.”
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
For the man and his wife the LORD God made leather garments,
with which he clothed them.
Then the LORD God said: “See! The man has become like one of us,
knowing what is good and what is evil!
Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand
to take fruit from the tree of life also,
and thus eat of it and live forever.”
The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden,
to till the ground from which he had been taken.
When he expelled the man,
he settled him east of the garden of Eden;
and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword,
to guard the way to the tree of life.
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
To the woman he said:
“I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing;
in pain shall you bring forth children.
Yet your urge shall be for your husband,
and he shall be your master.”
To the man he said: “Because you listened to your wife
and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat,
“Cursed be the ground because of you!
In toil shall you eat its yield
all the days of your life.
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you,
as you eat of the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
shall you get bread to eat,
Until you return to the ground,
from which you were taken;
For you are dirt,
and to dirt you shall return.”
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
For the man and his wife the LORD God made leather garments,
with which he clothed them.
Then the LORD God said: “See! The man has become like one of us,
knowing what is good and what is evil!
Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand
to take fruit from the tree of life also,
and thus eat of it and live forever.”
The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden,
to till the ground from which he had been taken.
When he expelled the man,
he settled him east of the garden of Eden;
and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword,
to guard the way to the tree of life.
Responsorial PsalmPS 90:2, 3-4ABC, 5-6, 12-13
R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our
refuge.
Before the mountains were begotten
and the earth and the world were brought forth,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Before the mountains were begotten
and the earth and the world were brought forth,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
AlleluiaMT 4:4B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 8:1-10
In those days when
there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,
Jesus summoned the disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
If I send them away hungry to their homes,
they will collapse on the way,
and some of them have come a great distance.”
His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread
to satisfy them here in this deserted place?”
Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They replied, “Seven.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,
and gave them to his disciples to distribute,
and they distributed them to the crowd.
They also had a few fish.
He said the blessing over them
and ordered them distributed also.
They ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.
There were about four thousand people.
He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples
and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
Jesus summoned the disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
If I send them away hungry to their homes,
they will collapse on the way,
and some of them have come a great distance.”
His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread
to satisfy them here in this deserted place?”
Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They replied, “Seven.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,
and gave them to his disciples to distribute,
and they distributed them to the crowd.
They also had a few fish.
He said the blessing over them
and ordered them distributed also.
They ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.
There were about four thousand people.
He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples
and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
Meditation: "Can one feed with bread in the desert?"
Can anything on earth
truly satisfy the hunger we experience for God? The enormous crowd that pressed
upon Jesus for three days were hungry for something more than physical food.
They hung upon Jesus' words because they were hungry for God. When the
disciples were confronted by Jesus with the task of feeding four thousand
people many miles away from any source of food, they exclaimed: Where
in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them? The
Israelites were confronted with the same dilemma when they fled Egypt and found
themselves in a barren wilderness. Like the miraculous provision of manna in
the wilderness, Jesus, himself provides bread in abundance for the hungry crowd
who came out into the desert to seek him. The gospel records that all were
satisfied and they took up what was leftover. When God gives he gives
abundantly - more than we deserve and more than we need so that we may have
something to share with others as well. The Lord Jesus nourishes and sustains
us with his life-giving word and with his heavenly bread.
The sign of the multiplication
of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes through
his disciples, prefigures the superabundance of the unique bread of his
Eucharist or Lord's Supper. When we receive from the Lord's table we unite
ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood. Ignatius
of Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the "one bread that provides the
medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us
live for ever in Jesus Christ" (Ad Eph. 20,2). This supernatural
food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey heavenward.
When you approach the Table of the Lord, what do you expect to receive?
Healing, pardon, comfort, and refreshment for your soul? The Lord has much more
for us, more than we can ask or imagine. The principal fruit of receiving from
the Lord's Table is an intimate union with Christ himself. As bodily
nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens us in charity
and enables us to break with disordered attachments to creatures and to be more
firmly rooted in the love of Christ. Do you hunger for Jesus, the true
"bread of life"?
"Lord Jesus, you
alone can satisfy the hunger in our lives. Fill me with greatful joy and eager
longing for the true heavenly bread which gives health, strength, and wholeness
to body and soul alike.”
 Goodness in Abundance |
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February 14, 2015.
Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop
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Mark 8:1-10 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, he summoned the disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance." His disciples answered him, "Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?" Still he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied. He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over -- seven baskets. There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha. Introductory Prayer: Lord, how quickly I lose faith and begin to trust more in things that I can touch and see than in your promises and strength. But I do believe in you, that you are the Bread of Life, and that only you can satisfy the deepest longings of my heart. As you are my Creator, you know what I need and provide for me each day. As you are my Redeemer, you lead me along the pathway of the cross and forgiveness. I want to follow you more closely. Petition: Lord, strengthen my faith, so that I can be magnanimous like you. 1. “I feel sorry for all these people.” Jesus shows compassion for the crowd, even for their temporal needs. He knows how earthly they can be, seeking only to satisfy their need for bread and water. In another passage he says, “Why worry about what you are to eat, or drink, or what you are to wear? … All these things the pagans seek” (Matthew 6:25-33) –– “pagans,” that is, those with no faith or trust in the heavenly Father. Our Lord does not worry about food and clothing for himself, although he does seek to provide them for others. But his charity doesn’t end there. He sincerely desires their greatest good, and for this reason gives them much more than a passing meal. Together with bread and water, he gives them the gift of faith. After all, man does not live on bread alone” (Luke 4:4).
2. “Where could
anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this? The apostles ask a very human question, revealing the
poverty of their faith in Jesus. Such a question, without faith, would become
a self-fulfilling prophecy. Since the task seems impossible, why try at all?
How often does this way of thinking rein us in from doing great things for
God and expecting great things from him? How often do we resign ourselves to
defeat, content to mourn and lament seemingly hopeless situations, as if God
were not almighty and willing to help us? We need the faith of the Blessed
Virgin, who believed the impossible and became the mother of all who believe.
3. “They ate as
much as they wanted and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left
over.” Jesus offers the fullness
of life and love, an abundance of goodness and grace, to all who follow him.
His ways are the ways of life. He allows us to suffer want in this life so
that we will tap into the true source of abundance through faith, hope and
love. Those who seek themselves by seeking purely material goods — which are
limited by definition — will always be in want and will always feel the
threat of losing what they have. Those who seek Christ and his grace — which
is unlimited by definition — will never fear when they lose their earthly
goods. That is why Jesus says that to anyone who has (faith, hope, love,
grace, the gifts of the spiritual life), more will be given, and from the one
who has not (none of these spiritual gifts), even what he seems to have
(material possessions which are here today and gone tomorrow, always decaying
and coming to an end) will be taken away (Luke 8:18).
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, give me the gift of
compassion, so that I may serve others with your heart. Give me the gifts of
faith, hope and love so that I will understand that your goodness knows no
bounds or limits, and that you wish to pour out your grace on all until our
cups are overflowing.
Resolution: I will be magnanimous in my charity towards others
today.
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, MARK 8:1-10
(Genesis 3:9-24; Psalm 90)
(Genesis 3:9-24; Psalm 90)
KEY VERSE: "Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute" (v 6).
TO KNOW: This is the second account of the multiplication of the loaves in Mark's Gospel. The first took place in Galilee with the Jews (Mk 6:34-44). The second event occurred in Gentile territory. When Jesus saw the hungry crowd, he took pity on them, while his disciples wondered how they could feed them. Jesus took the seven loaves offered to him (a number representing the seven ministers in the Gentile Christian church, Acts 6:1-6). Then he gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute. When everyone had eaten their fill, the fragments were gathered in seven baskets (twelve baskets in the first miracle representing the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles). In this feeding of the Gentile people, Jesus demonstrated that all people had equal right to the Eucharist.
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, gather all of your people to give thanks and praise at your table
TO SERVE: Can you explain the Eucharist to those not of our faith?
Memorial of Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop
Cyril and Methodius were two brothers from Thessalonica, Greece. Methodius was born in 815 and Cyril in 827. They were sent by the emperor in 861 to convert the Khazars of Russia, a mission that was successful. In 863, Cyril and Methodius were sent to convert Moravians in their native tongue. Though some western clergy opposed their efforts and refused to ordain their candidates for the priesthood, Cyril and Methodius developed an alphabet for the Slavonic language that eventually became what is known as the Cyrillic alphabet. After initial criticism for their use of it, approval of the Liturgy in the Slavonic language was achieved. Methodius, Archbishop of Velehred, Czechoslovakia, translated the Bible into the Slavonic languages and pioneered the use of local and vernacular languages in liturgical settings.
Cyril and Methodius were two brothers from Thessalonica, Greece. Methodius was born in 815 and Cyril in 827. They were sent by the emperor in 861 to convert the Khazars of Russia, a mission that was successful. In 863, Cyril and Methodius were sent to convert Moravians in their native tongue. Though some western clergy opposed their efforts and refused to ordain their candidates for the priesthood, Cyril and Methodius developed an alphabet for the Slavonic language that eventually became what is known as the Cyrillic alphabet. After initial criticism for their use of it, approval of the Liturgy in the Slavonic language was achieved. Methodius, Archbishop of Velehred, Czechoslovakia, translated the Bible into the Slavonic languages and pioneered the use of local and vernacular languages in liturgical settings.
ST. VALENTINE'S DAY, FEBRUARY 14
Legend says that Valentine's Day originated from Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to Roman love lotteries. Legend also says that Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine." In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor Valentine who became the patron saint of lovers. Because of lack of historical evidence, St. Valentine's Day was removed from the calendar of Catholic feasts in 1969. February 14 has became the date for celebrating love.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Saturday 14 February 2015
Ss Cyril and Methodius.
Genesis 3:9-24. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge—Ps 89(90):2-6, 12-13. Mark 8:1-10.
Genesis 3:9-24. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge—Ps 89(90):2-6, 12-13. Mark 8:1-10.
‘I feel sorry for all these
people.’
Let us ponder Jesus’s
compassion and love, and the number of times we run to him in our time of need.
As a child, I was unaware
of Jesus’ love and compassion, as shown in today’s gospel. Now, in my later
years, I realise and appreciate the continual love and compassion that
supported me throughout my earlier life. It is so important for us to respond
to Jesus with a simple ‘thank you’ each day, even if we don’t fully appreciate
his love.
There is one thing we can
be sure of—his love and compassion do exist. How simple it is to say, ‘Thank
you, Jesus’, at the end of the day. Jesus, teach us to give and to give thanks,
as well as to receive.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Created by God
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As members of a Church that promotes a culture of life, we are
called to celebrate the lives of those who may not look like us or act like us.
Learn to see each person, regardless of his or her challenges, as a human being
specially created by God.
February
14
Sts. Cyril and Methodius
(d. 869; d. 884)
Sts. Cyril and Methodius
(d. 869; d. 884)
Because their father was an officer in a part of Greece inhabited
by many Slavs, these two Greek brothers ultimately became missionaries,
teachers and patrons of the Slavic peoples.
After a
brilliant course of studies, Cyril (called Constantine until he became a monk
shortly before his death) refused the governorship of a district such as his
brother had accepted among the Slavic-speaking population. Cyril withdrew
to a monastery where his brother Methodius had become a monk after some years
in a governmental post.
A
decisive change in their lives occurred when the Duke of Moravia (present-day
Czech Republic) asked the Eastern Emperor Michael for political independence
from German rule and ecclesiastical autonomy (having their own clergy and
liturgy). Cyril and Methodius undertook the missionary task.
Cyril’s
first work was to invent an alphabet, still used in some Eastern liturgies. His
followers probably formed the Cyrillic alphabet (for example, modern Russian)
from Greek capital letters. Together they translated the Gospels, the psalter,
Paul’s letters and the liturgical books into Slavonic, and composed a Slavonic
liturgy, highly irregular then.
That and
their free use of the vernacular in preaching led to opposition from the German
clergy. The bishop refused to consecrate Slavic bishops and priests, and Cyril
was forced to appeal to Rome. On the visit to Rome, he and Methodius had the
joy of seeing their new liturgy approved by Pope Adrian II. Cyril, long an
invalid, died in Rome 50 days after taking the monastic habit.
Methodius
continued mission work for 16 more years. He was papal legate for all the
Slavic peoples, consecrated a bishop and then given an ancient see (now in the
Czech Republic). When much of their former territory was removed from their
jurisdiction, the Bavarian bishops retaliated with a violent storm of
accusation against Methodius. As a result, Emperor Louis the German exiled
Methodius for three years. Pope John VIII secured his release.
Because
the Frankish clergy, still smarting, continued their
accusations, Methodius had to go to Rome to defend himself against charges
of heresy and uphold his use of the Slavonic liturgy. He was again vindicated.
Legend
has it that in a feverish period of activity, Methodius translated the whole
Bible into Slavonic in eight months. He died on Tuesday of Holy Week,
surrounded by his disciples, in his cathedral church.
Opposition
continued after his death, and the work of the brothers in Moravia was brought
to an end and their disciples scattered. But the expulsions had the beneficial
effect of spreading the spiritual, liturgical and cultural work of the brothers
to Bulgaria, Bohemia and southern Poland. Patrons of Moravia, and specially
venerated by Catholic Czechs, Slovaks, Croatians, Orthodox Serbians and
Bulgarians, Cyril and Methodius are eminently fitted to guard the long-desired
unity of East and West. In 1980, Pope John Paul II named them additional
co-patrons of Europe (with Benedict).
Comment:
Holiness means reacting to human life with God’s love: human life as it is, crisscrossed with the political and the cultural, the beautiful and the ugly, the selfish and the saintly. For Cyril and Methodius much of their daily cross had to do with the language of the liturgy. They are not saints because they got the liturgy into Slavonic, but because they did so with the courage and humility of Christ.
Holiness means reacting to human life with God’s love: human life as it is, crisscrossed with the political and the cultural, the beautiful and the ugly, the selfish and the saintly. For Cyril and Methodius much of their daily cross had to do with the language of the liturgy. They are not saints because they got the liturgy into Slavonic, but because they did so with the courage and humility of Christ.
Quote:
“Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not involve the faith or the good of the whole community. Rather she respects and fosters the spiritual adornments and gifts of the various races and peoples.... Provided that the substantial unity of the Roman rite is maintained, the revision of liturgical books should allow for legitimate variations and adaptations to different groups, religions, and peoples, especially in mission lands” (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 37, 38).
“Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not involve the faith or the good of the whole community. Rather she respects and fosters the spiritual adornments and gifts of the various races and peoples.... Provided that the substantial unity of the Roman rite is maintained, the revision of liturgical books should allow for legitimate variations and adaptations to different groups, religions, and peoples, especially in mission lands” (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 37, 38).
Patron Saint of:
Slavic peoples
Slavic peoples
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 8,1-10
Lectio:
Saturday, February 14, 2015
1) Opening prayer
Father,
watch over your family
and keep us safe in your care,
for all our hope is in you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
watch over your family
and keep us safe in your care,
for all our hope is in you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Mark 8,1-10
And now once again a great crowd had gathered,
and they had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to
them, 'I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days
now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry they will collapse
on the way; some have come a great distance.'
His disciples replied, 'Where could anyone get
these people enough bread to eat in a deserted place?' He asked them, 'How many
loaves have you?' And they said to him, 'Seven.'
Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on
the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them
and began handing them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed
them among the crowd. They had a few small fishes as well, and over these he
said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed too. They ate as much as
they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over.
Now there had been about four thousand people.
He sent them away and at once, getting into the boat with his disciples, went
to the region of Dalmanutha.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today speaks about the second
multiplication of the loaves. The thread of union of several episodes in this
part of the Gospel of Mark is the food, the bread. After the banquet of death
(Mk 6, 17-29), comes the banquet of life (Mk 6, 30-44). During the crossing of
the Lake the disciples are afraid, because they have understood nothing of the
bread multiplied in the desert (Mk 6, 51-52). Then Jesus declares that all food
is pure (Mk 7, 1-23). In the conversation of Jesus with the Canaanite woman,
the pagans ate the crumbs which fell from the table of the children (Mk 7,
24-30). And here, in today’s Gospel, Mark speaks about the second
multiplication of the loaves (Mk 8, 1-10).
• Mark 8, 1-3: The situation of the people and
the reaction of Jesus. The crowds, which gathered around Jesus in the desert,
had no food to eat. Jesus calls the disciples and presents the problem to them:
“I feel pity for this people, because for three days they have been following
me and have not eaten. If I send them away to their homes without eating, they
will faint on the way; and some come from very far!” In this concern of Jesus
there are two important things: a) People forget the house and the food and
follow Jesus to the desert! This is a sign that Jesus aroused great sympathy,
up to the point that people followed him in the desert and remain with him
three days! b) Jesus does not ask them to solve the problem. He only expresses
his concern to the disciples. It seems to be a problem without a solution.
• Mark 8, 4: The reaction of the disciples:
the first misunderstanding. The disciples then think of a solution, according
to which someone had to bring bread for the people. It does not even occur to
them that the solution could come from the people themselves. They say: “And
how could we feed all these people in the desert?” In other words, they think
of a traditional solution. Someone has to find the money, buy bread and
distribute it to the people. They themselves perceive that, in that desert, to
buy bread, this solution is not possible, but they see no other possibility to
solve the problem. That is, if Jesus insists in not sending the people back to
their homes, there will be no solution to feed them!
• Mark 8, 5-7: The solution found by Jesus.
First of all, he asks how much bread they have: “Seven!” Then he orders the
people to sit down. Then, he takes those seven loaves of bread, gives thanks,
broke them and gave them to the disciples to distribute them; and they
distributed them to the crowds. And he did the same thing with the fish. Like
in the first multiplication (Mk 6, 41), the way in which Mark describes the
attitude of Jesus, recalls the Eucharist. The message is this: the participation
in the Eucharist should lead to the gift and to the sharing of the bread with
those who have no bread.
• Mark 8, 8-10: The result: Everyone ate, they
were satisfied and bread was left over! This was an unexpected solution, which
began within the people, with the few loaves of bread that they had brought! In
the first multiplication, twelve baskets of bread were left over. Here, seven.
In the first one, they served five thousand persons. Here four thousand. In the
first one there were five loaves of bread and two fish. Here, seven loaves of
bread and a few fish.
• The time of the dominant ideology. The
disciples thought of one way, Jesus thinks in another way. In the way of
thinking of the disciples there is the dominant ideology, the common way of thinking
of persons. Jesus thinks in a different way. It is not by the fact of going
with Jesus and of living in a community that a person is already a saint and
renewed. Among the disciples, the old mentality always emerges again, because
of the “leaven of Herod and of the Pharisees” (Mk 8, 15), that is, the dominant
ideology, had profound roots in the life of those people. The conversion
requested by Jesus is a deep conversion. He wants to uproot the various types
of “leaven”.
* the “leaven” of the community closed up in
itself, without any openness. Jesus responds: “The one who is not against is in
favour!” (Mk 9, 39-40). For Jesus, what is important is not if the person forms
part or not of the community, but if he/she is generous, available or not to do
the good which the community has to do.
* the “leaven” of the group which considers
itself superior to others. Jesus responds: “You do not know what spirit
animates you” (Lc 9, 55).
* the “leaven” of the mentality of class and
of competition, which characterizes the society of the Roman Empire and which
permeated the small community which was just beginning. Jesus Responds: “Let
the first one be the last one” (Mk 9, 35). This is the point on which he
insists the most and it is the strongest point of his witness: “I have not come
to be served, but to serve” (Mc 10, 45; Mt 20, 28; Jo 13, 1-16).
* the “leaven” of the mentality of the culture
of the time Jesus responds: “Allow the little ones to come to me!” which
marginalized the little ones, the children. (Mk 10, 14). He indicates that the
little ones are the professors of adults: “anyone who does not accept the
Kingdom of God as a child, will not enter in” (Lk 18, 17).
As it happened in the time of Jesus, also
today, the Neo-liberal mentality is reviving and arises in the life of the
communities and of the families. The reading of the Gospel, made in community,
can help us to change life, and the vision and to continue to convert ourselves
and to be faithful to the project of Jesus.
4) Personal questions
• We can always meet misunderstandings with
friends and enemies. Which is the misunderstanding between Jesus and the
disciples on the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves? How does Jesus
face this misunderstanding? In your house, with your neighbours or in the
community, have there been misunderstandings? How have you reacted? Has your
community had misunderstandings or conflicts with the civil or ecclesiastical
authority? How did this happen?
• Which is the leaven which today prevents the
realization of the Gospel and should be eliminated?
5) Concluding prayer
Lord, you have been our refuge from age to
age.
Before the mountains were born,
before the earth and the world came to birth,
from eternity to eternity you are God. (Ps
90,1-2)
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