Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time

(Genesis 6:5-8.7:1-5.10; Mark 8:14-21)

The Eucharist, served to us daily and especially on Sundays, is our life’s blood.  That is, it nurtures eternal life in us.  Yet it is often overlooked.  Many do not heed the obligation to attend Sunday mass.  Today’s gospel may be understood as Jesus warning his disciples about such neglect.

He tells them, “…guard against the leaven of the Pharisees.” That is, they are not to be puffed up and blinded by pride so that they fail to recognize that Jesus is their Savior.  They have just witnessed him twice feed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread.  Certainly he, the one loaf, is enough food to sustain them forever.

We have this one loaf, Jesus, in the Eucharist.  We too must be careful not to become puffed up by the leaven of fame, fortune, or the glory of the world today.  Rather, we are to see our hope in the one whose body we eat and whose blood we drink in the Eucharist.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21)

Two little girls who had just made their First Communion were talking to one another.  One asked the other what gifts she received on the day of glory.  The second, more attuned to what “Communion” means responded, “wasn’t Jesus enough?”

Jesus’ disciples in today’s gospel suffer from the same myopia as the girl who thinks about First Communion as an opportunity to receive presents.  They worry that they have no bread when they have in their midst the “Bread of Life.” If they but open their hearts to Jesus, they would no longer need to worry about anything.

Jesus warns his followers to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.  This leaven – pride and hardness of heart – can puff up one’s face so that the eyes do not see what is manifest.  We must take notice.  Lent is upon us.  It is the choice time to knock down our pride with confession of sins and to help the poor with their needs.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

 Memorial of Saint Cyril, monk, and Saint Methodius, bishop

(Genesis 6:5-8.7:1-5.10; Mark 8:14-21)

Oddly the Church does not celebrate St. Valentine today.  Instead, she remembers Saints Cyril and Methodius, ninth-century missionaries to the Slavic lands.  This is not to say that the Church has little regard for romantic love, much less love in general.  Saints Cyril and Methodious showed their love for God and for peoples by leaving their native land to give Christ to foreigners.  Christ is the supreme model of spousal love.  He gave his life to save his bride, the Church. 

Today’s gospel gives indication of his sacrifice.  Mark writes that the disciples forgot to bring bread.  Amazingly, they still had one loaf with them in the boat.  That loaf is none other than Jesus himself.  Then he reminds his companions of the double feeding of the multitudes.  These miracles were a prefiguration of the Eucharist in which Jesus gives his disciples his body to eat and his blood to drink!  He did not mean to be ghoulish by this action but to show his love completed the next day on the cross.

The world exaggerates the importance of sexual love.  Today every person is suspected of either playing out her or his sexual fantasies or dangerously suppressing them.  We Christians offer the world a critical corrective.  We proclaim Christ crucified as the measure of real love – romantic, fraternal, or extended to foreigners.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

 Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 5:5-8.7:1-5.10; Mark 8:14-21)

On top of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, stone statues overlook the city.  They represent the twelve apostles who struggled to win the world for Christ.  Each member of the band appears magnificent in wisdom and strength.  We are challenged to reconcile these figures with the fumbling disciples in today’s gospel. 

The twelve have twice witnessed Jesus distribute hundreds of times more bread than was on hand.  Yet they worry about not having food with them in the boat.  They overlook the one loaf that is with them.  That is the Lord himself!  Like many people, the twelve cannot see beyond their condition of scarcity.  They cannot see that in Christ’s company they will always have more than enough.

Bumpkins as they are at this point, Jesus still has to warn the disciples about vanity!  It is the leaven of the Pharisees.  Like leaven in dough, vanity makes the Pharisees refuse to accept Jesus as a legitimate teacher.  They demand a sign from God for them to believe.  Vanity, in this sense, puffs one’s face so that the person cannot notice the presence of God.  Jesus is indicating to his disciples that they must trust him.  They and we are neither to obsess about what is lacking nor to overlook Jesus’ power.  Rather, we must put our faith in Jesus.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21)

A short story tells of a couple who church hopped.  They began as members of a Methodist church.  As their social status increased, they joined the Episcopal Church.  By the end of the story they weren’t going to church at all.  In one sense the couple is like the disciples in the Gospel of Mark.  They do not understand the meaning of knowing Jesus.

Although the disciples eagerly answered Jesus’ call, they cannot grasp what he teaches them.  Jesus has shown that God provides for those who trust is in Him.  Yet they worry about bread when Jesus, God’s anointed son, accompanies them.  The couple of the story find Christ aiding their upward social mobility.  Although their motive is not apparent here, the disciples see him as their ticket to fame and fortune.  For this reason Jesus warns them about become inflated like leaven in dough.

We too must take care that we go to church for the right reason.  We believe that there we encounter Jesus, our creator and redeemer.  He is the only one worthy of our full attention.  Furthermore, following his way of humility and love leads us to eternal life.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 5:5-8.7:1-5.10; Mark 8:14-21)

On top of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, stone statues of the twelve apostles look over the world that they have struggled to win for Christ.  Each member of the band appears so magnificent in wisdom and power that we are challenged to reconcile these figures with the fumbling characters we meet in the gospel today. 

The twelve have twice witnessed Jesus distribute a thousand times more bread than they had at hand.  Yet they worry about having enough food in the boat when they have one loaf – that is, the Lord himself!  Like most people, they cannot get over the human condition of scarcity.  They cannot see that in Christ’s company they have more than enough.

Bumpkins as they are at this point, Jesus has to warn the disciples about thinking themselves greater than they are.  He uses the example of leaven or yeast to give them the message.  Put a bit of yeast in a little dough and in a short time you find a full loaf of bread.  Yeast or leaven puffs up making something appear more massive than it is.  “The leaven of the Pharisees” and “the leaven of Herod” puff up their carriers to the extent that they cannot recognize God’s messengers.  The Pharisees think that they are defending God as they demand signs on the spot from Jesus, even after he has repeatedly given witness to his divine commission.  In decapitating John, Herod pretends to have authority over innocent life.  Jesus warns his disciples against both kinds of arrogance.  They and we are neither to worry about what is lacking nor to think of our own virtue as sufficient.  Rather, they and we must trust in Jesus.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Memorial of Saint Cyril, monk, and Saint Methodius, bishop

(Genesis 6:5-8.7:1-5.10; Mark 8:14-21)

Today, as lovers present their beloveds Valentine chocolate, the gospel hints at a more precious gift.  It suggests that Jesus is God’s gift of life to the world.  He is the “one loaf” of bread, the basic nutrition of Palestinian as well as most western societies.  Unable to grasp this meaning, the disciples misunderstand Jesus’ association of the Pharisees with leaven as a reference to bread.  They do not realize that he is warning them about puffed up egos that make people think of themselves as better than others.

In contrast Jesus expects his disciples to serve one another.  They are to give themselves as, if you will, Valentines of care.  Jesus indicates his own abundant love when he points to all the leftover bread which he produced.  The disciples will not be able to appreciate all that Jesus means until he sends them forth to preach after his death and resurrection.

Rather than St. Valentine, a Roman martyr about whom little is definitely known, the Church today celebrates Saints Cyril and Methodius.  These two brothers preached Jesus’ love and his call to people to serve one another in the Ukraine and Moravia.  They were so diligent and successful that Pope St. John Paul II proclaimed them among the patrons of all Europe.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 6:5-8.7:1-5.10; Mark 8:14-21)

We are about to begin our annual forty day retreat known as Lent.  We should be asking ourselves what penances we will do: how might we intensify our prayer, overcome our craving for material satisfaction, and practice extra works of mercy?  If the project sounds overwhelming, we are like the disciples of today’s gospel in the boat with Jesus.

The company of disciples begins to worry that they have not brought bread for the journey.   But Jesus reminds them that they have witnessed him feed thousands with meager amounts.  Underscoring the need to trust in him, he admonishes the disciples not to imitate the Pharisees or Herod.  At least the former have demanded that Jesus perform signs on request before they believe in him.

Let us make no mistake.  Lenten penances are for our good.  They enable us to deepen our relationship with God, liberate ourselves from frivolous needs, and help one another.  They are not impossible and seldom really difficult to fulfill because Jesus accompanies us.  Trusting in him, we will discover a better place than anywhere that we have been.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21)

Jesus’ statement in the gospel that no sign will be given to the people of his generation sounds odd.  He has already worked many marvelous deeds in Mark’s story, which John’s gospel name as “signs.”  What Jesus may be saying is that nothing will be done that the Pharisees will recognize as signs.  This is so because the Pharisees brashly demand a special demonstration of divine authority as if they were immigration officers checking travel documents.  But it is God’s prerogative, not man’s, to seek verification of another’s authenticity.

People today also challenge God to work a wonder so that they might believe.  They confess that they no longer believe because God took their child or because God did not come to assist them in need.  It seems that they also forget who is who.  God has the sovereign right to demand faith from human beings or at least openness to belief.  He does not take orders from human beings although He wants subjects to come to Him plaintively and confidently as a child might approach her father with the request for lunch money.

We should not hesitate to go to God with our needs, even the small ones.  But let our request for help always be framed on one side by the willingness to accept His will and on the other by the assurance that He will never abandon us.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Memorial of Saint Cyril, monk, and Saint Methodius, bishop

(James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21)

Many wonder why St. Valentine’s Day has been displaced on the liturgical calendar by the Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius. They find it puzzling that the Church would replace a universally popular saint with two of much more limited appeal. The reasons deal with historical veracity and perhaps with a more precise understanding of the love with which St. Valentine is associated.

Although it can be established that St. Valentine died a martyr during the second half of the third century, most of what is said about him is legend. Actually there are fourteen saints with that name from the period, none of whose lives are historically detailed. By comparison the lives of Cyril and Methodius are well chronicled. They were Greek missionaries who facilitated the development of the Church in Ukraine and Moravia six centuries after Valentine.

In the gospel today Jesus’ disciples cannot understand that as long as they have him, they need nothing else. He is the Bread of Life which will sustain us not for just a day but for eternity. Something similar may be said about the love which St. Valentine inspires. Most people reduce the meaning of the term to erotic desire. That is like using a Bible for a doorstop. Love is primarily the giving of self for the good of the other. Here again we have Jesus as the primary example. He showed us how to love by dying on the cross so that we might have access to eternal life. In dying for Christ Valentine exhibited that love but his witness has been undermined. Cyril and Methodius, however, in venturing to faraway places to preach God's love in Christ give more reliable testimony.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21)

Talk about taking coal to Newcastle – the disciples worry that they have no bread when they the bread of life is sitting in their midst! Typically in this gospel, Jesus’ disciples don’t get it. They fail to understand who Jesus really is. Like with many people today they are so concerned about the food on the table that they do not perceive that he has much more to offer than Wonderbread.

At least the Pharisees think in spiritual terms. But Jesus sees their quest spoiled by arrogance that refuses to recognize him as coming from God. Because they believe Jesus to be an imposter, they have asked him to work a sign, which his failure to perform would disillusion the masses following him. Jesus describes them as leaven because of their puffed-up self-esteem and their theology which would tempt God to deliver a sign on demand. Those who spend time in church should take Jesus’ admonition to heart, “Guard against the leaven of the Pharisees...”

Homilette for Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 5:5-8.7:1-5.10; Mark 8:14-21)

On top of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, stone statues of the twelve apostles look over the world that they have struggled to win for Christ. Each member of the band appears so magnificent in wisdom and power that we are challenged to reconcile these figures with the fumbling characters we meet in the gospel today.

The twelve have twice witnessed Jesus distribute a thousand times more bread than they had at hand. Yet they worry about having enough food in the boat when they have one loaf – that is, the Lord himself! Like most people, they cannot get over the human condition of scarcity. They cannot see that in Christ’s company they have more than enough.

Put a bit of yeast in a little dough and in a short time you find a full loaf of bread. Yeast or leaven puffs up making something appear more massive than it is. “The leaven of the Pharisees” and “the leaven of Herod” puff up their carriers to the extent that they cannot recognize God’s messengers. The Pharisees think that they are defending God as they demand signs on the spot from Jesus, even after he has repeatedly given witness to his divine commission. In decapitating John, Herod pretends to have authority over innocent life. Jesus warns his disciples against both kinds of arrogance. They and we are neither to worry about what is lacking nor to think of our own virtue as sufficient. Rather, they and we must trust in Jesus.

Homilette for Tueday, May 13, 2008

Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time

(Mark 8:14-21)

“Some say the world will end in fire,” writes poet Robert Frost, “Some say ice.” He is proposing metaphors for the two great threats to humanity -- desire and hatred. In today’s gospel Jesus proposes his own metaphors for these two eternal foes – the leaven of Herod and the leaven of the Pharisees. Herod wanted to please everyone, especially himself, so he married his brother’s wife, imprisoned John the Baptist when he criticized the action, and then beheaded the prophet not to lose face with his guests. The Pharisees came to despise sinners in their zeal to carry out the Law beyond all reproach.

To overcome desire and hatred, Jesus gives us himself as the bread of life. He personifies wisdom showing us how to live happily but temperately. He also incarnates the love of God, which brings out the good in all people so that they might gain eternal life. Jesus is the “one loaf” that the disciples have in their boat. He is the bread we break at Mass that delivers us from all evil.