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?”
 
Reflection:
The disciples set out on a boat trip across the lake and only brought one loaf of bread.
 
Jesus warned them to be wary of the “leaven” (the evil influence) of the Pharisees and King Herod, for the influence of evil can destroy souls.
 
Completely missing the mark, the disciples thought Jesus was talking about them not bringing enough bread.
 
Exasperated, Jesus said,
“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…?”
 
Here we see the humanness of Jesus.
In obvious frustration at the disciples lack of understanding,
Jesus continues to try to shake them from being blind and deaf to His teachings.
 
“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.”
 
Today’s gospel brings me back to when I was fourteen, listening to my mother screaming in frustration, “Jimmy, I want you to stop hanging around with that boy. Don’t you get it? He’s been in trouble with the police.”
 
I, of course, replied, “But Ma, Billie’s the best hitter on our team.”
 
Like the disciples, I did not have “the eyes or ears” to understand that out of love, Ma was trying to warn me of the dangers of a bad influence.
 
And, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do you still not understand?”
 
“The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.”      – –  James E. Faust