Gospel of the Day
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark (8:14–21)
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.”
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”
They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”
They answered him, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.”
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”
They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”
They answered him, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?
Hardened Heart
The Lord longs to nourish our soul, yet we insist on filling ourselves with the things of the world, as if they could quench our thirst. In reality, the opposite happens: we are left even emptier.
This is what we see in the disciples. For this reason, Jesus reproaches them. They are so preoccupied with worldly concerns that they are unable to see, hear, or understand.
The same can happen each day in our marriage. We look at our spouse through our own lens, according to our own criteria. We notice imperfections and mistakes. We search for faults and pass judgement.
What does the Lord do with us? He, who is God and gave Himself to save us, looks upon us with love and mercy. He sees what we are called to become. He calls us by name, not by our sin.
Tomorrow, Lent begins — a time of preparation and reparation, in which we offer to the Lord everything that distances us from Him. In our prayer, we shall place before Him our hardened hearts and ask Him to help us free them from all that belongs to the world.
Applied to Married Life
Esther: Darling, I don’t know how to tell the children to help more at home — they are driving me mad!
Gonzalo: Esther, don’t you see they’re not fully aware? They’re wrapped up in their own things and only think about themselves and what they feel like doing.
Esther: Doesn’t it wind you up? At any moment I’m going to shout at them to see if they react. I really can’t take it any more — they’re like parasites.
Gonzalo: What if we try something different? Instead of giving them yet another telling-off, let’s give them light. Let’s speak to them in a way that helps illuminate the right path — perhaps that will work better.
(After a week of speaking to them several times with great love and gently showing them the Truth)
Esther: Honestly, Gonzalo, shouting doesn’t help at all. But what the Holy Spirit has been prompting us to say to them these past days, showing them the Truth, is bearing fruit!
Gonzalo: Then we must persevere — little by little. But above all, let us not forget our prayer, so that we too may learn to do everything in the Lord and guide them better.
Mother,
May we learn to live in the Lord as you did, and thus have pure hearts, not hardened ones.
Blessed and praised be the Lord for ever!