Word Confusion
Feb. 13: Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s first reading, a original Greek word is translated as “temptation,” while in yesterday’s, it was “trial.” That’s because the translators don’t want us to be confused about the shades of meaning. God my send us trials, in the sense of difficulties, but never temptations, in the sense of drawing us to sin. These are very different challenges we face.
Word confusion isn’t always caused by translations, though. The Apostles are confused by Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel. Thankfully, He explains it to them.
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 firstfruits of his creatures.
God doesn’t tempt us to sin, because He doesn’t want us to sin. But in a fallen world, the temptations will happen. So instead of lamenting that we’re faced with these trials, we should ask God for the graces to resist. That’s what God wants for us.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 94:12-13a, 14-15, 18-19
R. 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.
God won’t abandon us in our times of temptation. We just have to be as open to His instruction as we are to our temptations.
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.
Thanks to Jesus, we are now all sons (and daughters) of God.
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?"
This short passage helps with the exegesis of many of Jesus’ saying and parables. He compares Pharisees and Herod to leaven, and the disciples are like, “Oh, you want some bread?”
If it was me, I’d probably roll my eyes, but Jesus is infinitely more patient—
Jesus was simply following up on the confrontation with the Pharisees in yesterday’s reading. If he wanted bread, he could’ve just multiplied the one loaf they had.
So, first of all, this confirms that the multiplication of the loaves and fishes was not The Miracle of Sharing. It was a real, genuine, supernatural miracle.
But it also clarifies that, when Jesus is speaking metaphorically, he explains it. The disciples took him literally, and he corrected them. So, later on, when people freak out at Jesus saying "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you,"1 and he doesn't correct those people, we know it's not a metaphor.
The Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ.
