“Do you still not understand?” | Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: "The voice of the LORD is over the waters, the LORD, over vast waters. The voice of the LORD is mighty; the voice of the LORD is majestic.  The Lord will bless his people with peace."

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (8:14-21, today's readings)

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?”

On a boat with the disciples, they tell Jesus they have only one loaf of bread with them. Jesus says to them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Jesus observes that they don't understand him and asks them whether they comprehend what he means. "Are your hearts hardened?" he asks them. "Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?" Because they don't yet understand the identity of Jesus as the Son of God and his mission, he goes on to remind them of his feeding of the crowds and asks again if they still don't understand, spoken not out of questioning their ability to comprehend him but out of love. In this way, he brings us not to a place of self-doubt but one of greater trust in his divinity and goodness as he invites the disciples and all of us to understand him more deeply.

God, help me remember today what Jesus calls me to in questioning my understanding of him. This is not to cast a shadow on your gift of intellect but to draw me closer to him. Let me welcome the question "Do you not yet understand or comprehend?" In a million years, I would not yet understand. Yet, Jesus condescends to make a place for me nearer and nearer to him as I grow to greater understanding through childlike faith. Give me the grace, Lord, to trust in your providence for everything and to stay in the boat with you in the midst of adversity. Give to the LORD the glory due his name!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.