Gospel Mark 8:11-13

 

Jesus also, as it happened with Moses in the Old Testament, had fed hungry people in the desert, by multiplying the bread. This is a sign that He presented himself before the people as a new Moses. But the Pharisees were not capable of perceiving the meaning of the multiplication of the loaves. They continued to discuss with Jesus  and ask for a sign from Heaven. Jesus left them and went toward the other side of the lake. 

 

Here we can clearly perceive how the yeast of Herod and the Pharisees, the dominating ideology of the time, made people lose their capacity to analyze events objectively. This yeast came from afar and had sunk profound roots in the life of the people. It went so far as to contaminate the disciples’ mentality. With the formation which Jesus gave them, He tried to uproot this yeast.

 

The following are some examples of this fraternal help which Jesus gave to His disciples: a) The mentality of a closed group: “We tried to stop him because he was not one of ours” (Mk 9: 38); the mentality of a group which considers itself superior to others: “May fire descend from heaven and burn them up!” (Lk 9:54); the mentality of competition and prestige: “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last”; the mentality of those who marginalize the little ones: “Let the little children come to me!”(Mk 10:14). Today also the  dominating ideology arises once again and appears even in the life of the community and of the family. The prayerful reading of the Gospel, done in community, can help to change our view of things and to deepen in us conversion.