TUESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 8:14-21) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Do you have eyes and not see, ears and” (Mc 8,18)

FIRST READING - Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10

A reading from the Book of Genesis

When the LORD saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth,

and how no desire that his heart conceived

was ever anything but evil,

he regretted that he had made man on the earth,

and his heart was grieved.

So the LORD said:

“I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created,

and not only the men,

but also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air,

for I am sorry that I made them.”

But Noah found favor with the LORD.

Then the LORD said to Noah:

“Go into the ark, you and all your household,

for you alone in this age have I found to be truly just.

Of every clean animal, take with you seven pairs,

a male and its mate;

and of the unclean animals, one pair,

a male and its mate;

likewise, of every clean bird of the air, seven pairs,

a male and a female,

and of all the unclean birds, one pair,

a male and a female.

Thus you will keep their issue alive over all the earth.

Seven days from now I will bring rain down on the earth

for forty days and forty nights,

and so I will wipe out from the surface of the earth

every moving creature that I have made.”

Noah did just as the LORD had commanded him.

As soon as the seven days were over,

the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mark 8:14-21

From the Gospel according to Mark

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?”

TUESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 8:14-21)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today's Word of God, mankind is reminded to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

What is the meaning of that leaven?

God warns mankind that the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod represent pride and hypocrisy, and they keep only the law of appearance, which are habits rooted in greed for profit, lust, power, status, and fame. God the Father loves His disciples, so He kindly warns them: "If you enter that environment, you will be influenced by that bad leaven to a greater or lesser extent, so be careful!" But did the disciples understand His teachings? Today's Gospel records the image of Jesus' disciples not understanding His words. They were blinded by their passion for worldly things because of their worries about life.

God rebuked them: '"Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear."' Then He patiently guided His disciples toward spiritual life and the Kingdom of Heaven, strengthening their faith. God reminded them of the miracles He had performed, such as multiplying the loaves, feeding the people, and leaving them with leftovers. He showed His disciples that God can do all things.

Therefore, what God wants from them is not to worry about food and bread, but to focus on living a holy life, avoiding the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. They should strive to be like Jesus—humble and self-emptied—and wholeheartedly worship and love God. By putting God and His work first, He will take care of everything else when we completely trust in the power and strength of God.

The teachings of God to His disciples in the past are still relevant to today's humanity in the era of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit acts on humankind so that we understand that the teachings in the Gospel are the eternal Word of God, combined with the specific teachings of the Realistic Word of God written through the hands of Angel Thiên Thương, humanity will have enough strength to fight against the world, the demons, and the flesh.

Therefore, today, God calls on mankind to pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit and rely on Him in all places and at all times. In the universe, the Holy Spirit always works with flexibility, softness, and agility, not rigidity according to human laws. As He taught, humanity has been infected by Satan's leaven, the worldly spirit. Therefore, God has used simple and humble people who know how to obey Him completely as His sharp instruments.

Through the work of the new era, God guides humanity to the absolute truth, where arrogance, hypocrisy, and a desire for the benefit of the lowly world are no longer present. This is a place that teaches humanity to stay away from worldly status and to give up passion for money and lust.

In this place, people must absolutely avoid Satan's leaven and only accept the leaven of Heaven by living a life of humility, meekness, and simplicity in fasting and constant prayer to God, with absolute faith in the Holy Trinity, One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Thanks be to God. Amen.