Written by Sr. Rosemary Finnegan, O.P.
If we listened carefully to the gospel reading from Chapter 8 of St. Mark, we heard Jesus ask his thick-headed apostles not just one question, but 8 questions. In fact, in the whole of Chapter 8 of Mark alone, there are at least 16 questions that Jesus asks.
The disciples were arguing about whose fault it was that they had no bread on board the boat. By asking them these questions, Jesus is trying to get his followers to see that they misunderstand him as much as the Pharisees do. They weren’t getting the big picture. The followers were too distracted by their own needs and forgot what they had already experienced with Jesus.
He reminded them by giving them a little math lesson about what had happened just hours before.
- Jesus asks: “And do you not remember when I broke the 5 loaves for the 5000, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”
- They must have dropped their heads and barely said: “12”
- Then Jesus asks: “When I broke the 7 loaves for the 4000, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”
- Now they barely mumble: “7”
Finally Jesus says: “Do you still not understand?”
Here they were worrying about not having bread for themselves when they were with someone who fed over 9000 people and had more bread left over than what he started with!
With Jesus, it only takes one loaf to feed the entire world, as he says in John’s gospel: “I am the bread of life.”
We have just been nourished by Jesus at this Eucharistic meal; Jesus is our bread of life. But we could be like the disciples and have a memory lapse about what Jesus has done for us. We lose focus; we get spiritually distracted; we worry. Although Jesus gave signs to the apostles that revealed his power and authority, they just didn’t see them.
Jesus hasn’t stopped giving us signs of his presence and love. All we have to do is learn to stop and take notice of all these invitations:
- Noticing a simple act of kindness
- Having an inspiration to do something good for someone in need
- Reading a Scripture verse that comes alive in our hearts.
- Signing up to attend our ‘Life in the Eucharist Retreat’ in March!
God works in so many ordinary everyday experiences to show us God’s presence. Perhaps Jesus could ask the same questions of us this Lent that he addressed to the apostles:
- Are your hearts hardened?
- Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
- Do you still not understand?
