Celebración de la palabra

Tuesday February 18

Tuesday of 6th Week of Ordinary Time

USE YOUR EYES AND EARS!

Introduction

James calls blessed those who resist the test of temptations. But temptations do not come from God but from the concupiscence within ourselves. From God comes all good gifts.
The theme of yesterday is continued in today’s reading. We should not ask for extraordinary signs but learn to see God’s presence and saving action in the events of life. The apostles have seen the signs Jesus worked among them. We too, should open our eyes and ears to the good things God does among us.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
when we do not see clearly in life,
when suffering comes our way,
we tend to blame you or people.
Help us to realize clearly
how much of the evil around us
comes from within ourselves,
from our greed for riches and power,
from our self-complacency and selfishness.
Speak to us your word of forgiveness
and change us from a silent majority of evil
into solidarity of love,
by the grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading 1: Jas 1:12-18

Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,
for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life
that he promised to those who love him.
No one experiencing temptation should say,
"I am being tempted by God";
for God is not subject to temptation to evil,
and he himself tempts no one.
Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire.
Then desire conceives and brings forth sin,
and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters:
all good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.
He willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 94:12-13a, 14-15, 18-19

R. (12a) Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.
Blessed the man whom you instruct, O LORD,
whom by your law you teach,
Giving him rest from evil days.
R. Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.
For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R. Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.
When I say, "My foot is slipping,"
your mercy, O LORD, sustains me;
When cares abound within me,
your comfort gladdens my soul.
R. Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.

Alleluia Jn 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord;
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 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?"

Commentary

“Lead us not into temptation” is a petition in our daily prayer to God. Yet James says that God tempts no one. Our prayer simply means that we ask God to keep us free of situations in which temptations might arise. It does not imply that God does the tempting.
But trial has its positive value. To remain strong in grace in the midst of temptation is to receive ultimately the crown of life. What James wishes to emphasize is that God is the author of all that is good. That does not mean that our life is not beset by pain and trial, but we have been blessed as well. As James makes clear, all who have been baptized have been brought to birth “by the word of truth.” We are the fruit of the new creation. Baptism is the key to life, the door to eternity.
In the midst of their distress, the disciples failed to recall the providence of God. Is not the same true of us on many occasions? We all too easily lose sight of God’s providence. And we are assured that we will not be tested beyond our strength. The psalmist tells us today that the Lord will not forsake his people. Or to paraphrase Paul: If Christ has given his life for you, do you think he will abandon you now?
We are all tested, sometimes even to the point of discouragement. But we are never abandoned. Lord, give us the light to see and to know.

Points to Ponder

The spiritual side of the trials of life
Faith in our daily difficulties
God’s providential care

Intercessions

– For those who are tempted, that they may remember how Jesus overcame temptation and ask him to give them the strength to resist, we pray:
– For those who have seriously sinned, that they may remember that God still loves them and is ready to forgive them, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may see the signs of God’s goodness and of the faith of good people, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, loving Father,
in these signs of bread and wine,
you reassure us that you are always with us
through him who became one of us,
your Son, Jesus Christ.
Give us eyes to see and ears to hear
all the good things you do for us
through people who comfort us
and share with us in the hour of need;
help us to brighten each other’s lives
with a smile and a warm word,
as you are the light of our lives
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
when we look for signs
that you are still with us,
give us the faith and the strength
to be to the world the sign
of your saving love
by our integrity, our ways of peace,
our concern for one another,
for where charity and love prevail
surely you are there
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

Just open your eyes and your ears and learn to see the good things God does among us even today. Keep seeing and believing, for there are signs enough. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.