6th MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 8:11-13) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
FIRST READING - Jas 1:1-11
"Your faith produces perseverance. so that you may be perfect and complete."
A reading from the letter of James
1 [a]James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings.
2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,[b] 3 for you know that the testing[c] of your faith produces perseverance. 4 And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom,[d] he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. 6 But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.
9 The brother in lowly circumstances[e] should take pride in his high standing, 10 and the rich one in his lowliness, for he will pass away “like the flower of the field.” 11 For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes. So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mk 8:11-13
"Why does this generation seek a sign?"
✠From the Gospel according to Mark
11 [a]The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.
6th MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 8:11-13)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
Today's Word of God speaks of the Pharisees demanding from Jesus a sign from heaven to test Him.
When Jesus came into the world as a human and preached about the Kingdom of Heaven, He performed many miracles.
The very fact that He, the only Begotten Son of God, set aside His glory of Heaven to come down to earth as a human, taking the form of a slave and becoming in human likeness except for sin, was itself a miracle.
Yet humanity did not believe.
Why is that?
Because those scholars of the law deemed themselves highly learned and all-knowing, they were those who, observing the signs of the earth and sky, knew when it would rain or shine, and when it would be day or night.
But to God, such things are of no importance.
The greatest miracle that God bestows upon humanity is this: out of love, God sent His Son into the world to become human, yet humanity failed to recognize Him.
Furthermore, the miracles that Jesus performed right before their eyes were: healing the sick, the lame, the blind, the mute, and the deaf; the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, where from five loaves He multiply them for over five thousand men to eat their fill—these are acts only God can perform, yet they still did not believe.
For those who are not humble and do not abase themselves, who do not acknowledge their own lowliness in the sight of God, will never recognize the miracles He performs; even if a miracle occurs right before their eyes, they would still refuse to believe.
Moreover, they are mere mortals, lumps of clay created by God, yet they dare to put God to the test; is this not the sin of blasphemy? For as the Word of God teaches: ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’ (Lk 4:12). For this reason, Jesus sighed from the depths of His spirit and said to them: “Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation,” even though miracles are happening at every moment.
In today’s world, the miracles of Jesus are still manifest upon the Cross, the very place where Jesus Himself, the Son of God, suffered death, yet He continues to pour out His graces upon humanity.
Through faith, whoever gazes upon Jesus hanging on the Cross shall witness the miracle.
There are countless people who, upon gazing at the Holy Cross of Christ, have been transformed: from sinners into people of love, and from those afflicted in soul and body, they have been healed by God. Countless people, as they gaze upon the Holy Cross of Christ, have seen God’s love and their neighbor’s love.
Today's Word of God desires to teach everyone: for those who have faith in God and do all things according to His teachings will see His miracles manifested in them.
God's miracles are always shining forth and being bestowed upon everyone, yet not everyone recognizes them. Only those who live by faith, hope, and charity will recognize God's miracles manifested within themselves, in others, and in all the creatures that God has created.
Thanks be to God. Amen
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