First Reading - James 1:12-18
Gospel - Mark 8:14-21
James, in the first reading, teaches an important lesson on our attitude towards temptations or trials. It is easy to blame external forces for the temptations which lead us astray, when in fact we need to look at ourselves and our basic disordered desires. We even come close to blaming God when we pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation’. God does not ‘lead us into temptation’; it is our own desires and passions, unschooled, flattered and magnified on relatively harmless occasions, which trap us into misbehaviour.
In the gospel, the Apostles in the boat misunderstands Jesus’ warning as a scolding for their having forgotten to bring enough bread for all of them. Hence, Jesus reminded them of his miraculous provision of bread in the feedings of the five thousand and of the four thousand people as evidence that they did not have to worry about food they had forgotten to bring for their supper. The twelve baskets full of leftovers after miraculous feeding five thousand people represent the twelve tribes of Israel whom God first established as His chosen people to preserve the belief in the one true God. The seven baskets full of leftovers after the miraculous feeing of the the four thousand people represent the seven nations of the Gentiles to whom salvation is extended. Jesus clarifies by these miracles that while salvation is universal, the way to salvation is through him the Messiah. He warns his disciples to beware of the false ways of salvation offered by the two extreme philosophies of the Pharisees and the King Herod and the Herodians. The Jews considered fermentation by yeast as equivalent to putrefaction and, hence, something evil. That is why Jesus equated evil influence with leaven. Jesus considered the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the immoral life of the king Herod as leaven corrupting the dough of Israel. Hence, he gave the warning against their evil influence to his disciples while they were crossing the Lake in a boat.
Dear friends, we can't deny the fact of temptations (in the form of challenges, trials, difficulties etc.) that we encounter in our lives. The temptations, when we are through trials of our lives or through success stories or through confused situations or through despair moments etc., come to distance us from God. Many of such temptations can lead us astray from God, if we are not watchful as Jesus speaks about it in the gospel. We need to recognize the bad effects of such temptations as they are able to corrode our spiritual life and our faith in God. It's by being watchful, we can recognize the bad influence of such temptations.
The first reading also warns us against our attitude towards the temptations in our lives. We should not be carried away by such temptations but learn to school our passions so that we can overcome our temptations. James reminds us that many of our trials or temptations are the result of our bad choices (evil desires) that we make. We can overcome them by our conscious efforts.
Let's pray that God may help us overcome our daily crosses as in the form of our temptations.
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