Jesus multiplied five loaves to feed five thousand men and several thousand women and children (Mk 6:38-44). He repeated this miracle on another occasion using seven loaves (Mk 8:5-9). Both times there were more leftovers than the food Jesus started with (Mk 8:19-20). After these two amazing miracles, the Pharisees blindly asked Jesus for a sign (Mk 8:11). Jesus sighed "from the depths of His spirit" (Mk 8:12). Jesus' disciples were also blind to reality. He questioned them: "Do you still not see or comprehend? Are your minds completely blinded? Have you eyes but no sight? Ears but no hearing?" (Mk 8:17-18)
The obtuseness (see Mk 7:22) and self-deception of the human person is alarming. We can see a miracle right before our eyes and yet miss it completely. We can kill millions of babies in the womb and just pretend, contrary to all biological and scientific data, that they are not really human beings. We can bomb our enemies and say we are really loving them because we are fighting a "just war." We can stare at pornographic garbage on prime-time TV or our handheld electronic device and call it entertainment. The human capacity for self-deception is terrifying.
We would deceive ourselves all the way to hell but for the grace and light of Jesus. We need Jesus desperately. He alone is the Truth (Jn 14:6).
| PRAYER: | Father, may the Holy Spirit I received at Pentecost open my eyes and lead me to change my life. |
| PROMISE: | "Happy the man who holds out to the end through trial!" –Jas 1:12 |
| PRAISE: | Mel hiked seventy miles on a holy pilgrimage to grow closer to God. The Lord surprised Mel by introducing him to his future wife during the pilgrimage. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College