Daily Reflection for Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Tuesday’s readings at this link:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021522.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: James 1:12-18
Responsorial: Psalm 94:12-13a, 14-15, 18-19
Gospel: Mark 8:14-21
Our reflection on Tuesday’s readings:
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” Mark 8:21
In today’s gospel, the disciples are agitated because they’ve forgotten to bring bread for a short boat trip on the Sea of Galilee. As they fret about that failure, Jesus challenges them to remember the times He provided an abundance of bread:
“Do you not remember when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up? . . . Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up? . . . “Seven.”
In apparent frustration, Jesus concludes His conversation with the disciples with the question, Do you still not understand?
As I imagine Jesus posing that same question to me, two questions come to mind. The first is: I wonder if I am too small and timid in my expectations of God? So often our expectations in life are disappointed. It’s natural to scale back our future expectations to shield ourselves from more disappointment. Sometimes that can be a wise adjustment to reality. Other times, it can shrink our spirits, especially when it comes to our expectations of God.
In today’s gospel, Jesus reminds the disciples of the super-abundance of God’s love and grace, of how extravagant God is when it comes to caring for us. We can safely surrender our anxieties and place our desires and hopes before God. Spiritual writer, Martin Smith puts it well: It is possible to begin to break the habit of pinching off the buds of new life within yourself. *
The second question today’s gospel raises for me is: Do I underestimate God’s desire for my heart? Jesus’ question can be read as His yearning for the disciples to understand Him and to love Him. Those are the desires of every friend and lover. Uniquely, in our relationship with God, our desire for God originates not in ourselves but in God’s desire for our love—a stunning thought.
Prayer: Abundant God, increase our trust in you. Fill our hearts, which you have created, with your abundant love and with our abundant love for you.
Wishing you God’s blessings,
Jean Galanti
*Martin L. Smith. The Word Is Very Near You: A Guide to Praying With Scripture. Boston: Cowley Publications, 1989.