Reflection for TUESDAY, 6th Week, Ordinary Time.
By
Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore
Today's Gospel Verses
Mark 8:14-21
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,”they replied.
“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Whenever something goes wrong, the tendency is to put the blame on someone.
Today's Reflection
Especially when we are clearly at fault, we would still want to splatter the blame on others.
In other words, when we go sinking down, we would also want to drag others along; that is the human tendency.
And so when we sin, we too would blame others for causing us to sin.
We would even want to blame the devil for tempting us into sin.
But the 1st reading makes it clear when it says this: Everyone who is tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire.
So when we do wrong and commit sin, let us not look at others and try to pin the blame on them.
Let us look within and let us realise that in our wounded human nature, we have this tendency to sin.
As Jesus said in the gospel: Keep your eyes open.
May we look into our hearts and acknowledge that we are sinners and let us also look towards God who is merciful and compassionate and forgiving.
GOD BLESS YOU
Good morning. Have a nice safe day.