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Gospel: 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?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Tomorrow, we will celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our 40-day Lenten journeys aimed at spiritual renewal. Both our first reading and today’s Gospel provide timely advice before we begin.
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“Watch out,” Jesus says, “guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
Leaven, also known as yeast, is used to make dough rise. Just a pinch of it permeates an entire loaf.
Jews often used the same word – leaven – to describe sin. Just a pinch of it– a single temptation, a single lie, a single gesture – can change a person’s heart until, slowly, the leaven takes over.
In terms of the disciples, Jesus is warning them to not let the doubt and skepticism of the Pharisees creep into their hearts. Such negativity will harden them to the point that they’ll be unable to believe, understand, or perform any mighty deed in his name.
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What about our own hearts? What’s the leaven that can sabotage our own spiritual lives?
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It might be the “leaven” of impatience; selfishness; or pride. Such things are meant to be rooted out during Lent, often through prayer, fasting, and charity.
As Saint James reminds us in our first reading, “Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven, he will receive the crown of life.”
May God bless these 40 days, honoring all of our effort, so that our hearts will remain soft and open to doing the Lord’s will.
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Image credits: (1) Brother James (2) Christ Church Memphis (3) A Heart for God, WordPress