UNDERSTANDING LEADS TO BELIEVING

1^st READING - James 1:12-18

P S A L M - Psalm 94:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

R: Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him and we will come to him.

Mark 8:14-21

SABBATH

One of the key themes in all the Gospels is understanding the message of Jesus. It is very difficult to believe in something if one does not understand it. This is very true of the Gospel as it presents to us a new way of understanding and entering into a relationship with God, namely through His Son, Jesus. One of the difficulties the disciples had, and all who heard Jesus speak, was that He often spoke in parables and through His actions, and not necessarily in simple, straightforward language. I wonder why Jesus chose to speak through miracles, signs and stories? Perhaps it was to present a very human face of God in the Gospel. The concept of God automatically instills a sense of awe in us, such that there is a need to bring things “down to earth.” We need to realize that the Incarnation is God speaking to us of His desire to be a part of our lives and not a distant being that we sometimes call on for help. Most images we have of God tend to set Him apart from us, out there somewhere. At best, the distance between God and us changes once in a while for a short period of time. This is not the God that Jesus presents to us. He is a God intimately involved in the daily issues of our lives — well, at least He is if we open our lives to Him! Therein lies the issue at hand. Do we not see that God wants to be a part of our lives? And if we do understand this, why are we not letting Him into our hearts and lives? All the miracles of Jesus speak to us of basic aspects of human living — eating, healing and so on. This is a sign to us that God wants to engage us in all areas of our lives. The question that remains is whether or not we will allow Him to do this. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you offered your life to God today? Have you chosen to invite Him to be a part of all that you will do today? Jesus, help me to open my heart and mind to Your grace and Spirit so that I will hear Your call to follow, and be faithful and obedient to it. St. Cyril, monk, and St. Methodius, bishop, pray for us. Do you want to receive this in your email?  To get Bo Sanchez to send it to you personally, log-on to http://kerygmafamily.com. Lots of surprises await.