Tuesday February 18th: Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees

“Jesus feeds his disciples, their inner hunger, with his Bread of Life.”

Mark 8:14-21

A moment of teaching, a wonderful moment! How we use these moments is vital for living our life vocation as parent, teacher, pastor, friend, supervisor, mentor, prophet. Jesus does exactly that. He had challenged his disciples to “feed them (the crowd) yourselves”- their physical hunger. We must take care of the needs of others who come to us.
Now he was feeding his disciples, their inner hunger. Jesus challenges them to learn from their experiences with him, read the signs of the times, both his own miracles and how they should be aware of the ”yeast of the pharisees and…Herod”; the evil influences of both the religious and the political leaders of Israel who were at odds with Jesus.
Not much is different in our time and culture where, as missionary disciples, we are faced with the evils of rampant consumerism, racism, prejudice, hate, greed, popularism, all of which easily infest our hearts and minds, competing with the life-giving message of Jesus, the Bread of Life. In this time of journeying towards a synodal church we pray for the gift to listen deeply to the meaning of Jesus.