Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 335
Reading 1
James 1:1-11
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings.
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,
when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
And let perseverance be perfect,
so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,
and he will be given it.
But he should ask in faith, not doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea
that is driven and tossed about by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.
The brother in lowly circumstances
should take pride in high standing,
and the rich one in his lowliness,
for he will pass away "like the flower of the field."
For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass,
its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes.
So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119:67, 68, 71, 72, 75, 76
R. (77a) Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I hold to your promise.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that I may learn your statutes.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
I know, O LORD, that your ordinances are just,
and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
Alleluia
John 14:6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 8:11-13
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily REflections
From the Depths
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Mark 8:11–12
Jesus had performed many miracles. He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and fed thousands with only a few fish and loaves of bread. But even after all of that, the Pharisees came to argue with Jesus and demanded a sign from Heaven.
The response of Jesus is quite unique. “He sighed from the depth of his spirit…” This sigh was an expression of His holy sorrow over the hardness of hearts of the Pharisees. If they had the eyes of faith, they would have no need for yet another miracle. And if Jesus would have performed a “sign from heaven” for them, even that would not have helped them. And so Jesus does the only thing He can—He sighed.
At times, this type of reaction is the only good one. We may all face situations in life where others confront us with harshness and stubbornness. When this happens, we will be tempted to argue with them, condemn them, try to convince them we are right, and the like. But sometimes one of the holiest reactions we can have to the hardness of our heart of another is to experience a deep and holy sorrow. We must also “sigh” from the depths of our spirits.
When one is hard of heart, rational talking and arguing will prove to be of little avail. Hardness of heart is also what we traditionally call the “sin against the Holy Spirit.” It’s a sin of obstinacy and stubbornness. In that case, there is little or no openness to the truth. When you experience this in the life of another, silence and a sorrowful heart are often the best reaction. Their hearts need to be softened and your deep sorrow, shared with compassion, may be one of the only responses that can help make a difference.
Reflect, today, upon any person in your life with whom you regularly argue, especially regarding matters of faith. Examine your approach and consider changing how you relate to them. Dismiss their irrational arguments and let them see your heart in the same way that Jesus allowed His divine heart to shine forth in a holy sigh. Pray for them, have hope, and allow your sorrow to help melt the most stubborn of hearts.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
“GET WISDOM” (PRV 4:5)
“If any of you is without wisdom, let him ask it from the God Who gives generously and ungrudgingly to all, and it will be given him. Yet he must ask in faith.” —James 1:5-6
One of the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit is wisdom (Is 11:2; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1831). God freely gives His wisdom if we ask Him for it. Yet we must ask God from a position of humility and faith (Jas 1:5-6). The Bible actually contains a book entitled Wisdom. There is even a section of the Bible called the Wisdom books, containing the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach. A wonderful way to seek God’s Wisdom is to spend time reading the Wisdom books.
The wisdom of man is foolishness to God (1 Cor 1:20). God’s ways are high above man’s ways (Is 55:8-9). “If any one of you thinks he is wise in a worldly way, he had better become a fool. In that way he will really be wise, for the wisdom of this world is absurdity with God” (1 Cor 3:18-19).
The young King Solomon humbly asked God for wisdom. “The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request” (1 Kgs 3:10), and gave Solomon a wise and understanding heart (1 Kgs 3:12). Like Solomon, ask God in humble faith for wisdom.
A priest once gave a teaching on the topic of wisdom in the Bible. He began the teaching by saying, “This is God’s wisdom.” Then he turned and gazed for several moments upon the large crucifix mounted on the wall behind him. Jesus Christ crucified is “the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24; see also 1 Cor 1:30; Catechism, 272). “Get wisdom” (Prv 4:5).
Prayer: Father, “give me Wisdom, the Attendant at Your throne” (Wis 9:4).
Promise: “Realize that when your faith is tested this makes for endurance.” —Jas 1:3
Praise: Jacob reads Bible stories to his children at dinner time. His sons’ favorite story is about King Solomon’s wisdom in judging his people (1 Kgs 3:16-28).
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
One thing most of us have in common is the difficulty to trust in Providence. We doubt and we put to the test what we see before us especially if it goes against human reasoning. The Pharisees did the same and one can perceive a sense of sadness and frustration in the deep ‘sigh’ of Jesus. How many signs are we looking for when Jesus has been demonstrating His love for us through unending signs which we either ignore or just cannot see? As Jesus crosses over to the other side, let us ask Him to take us to that side with Him. The Kingdom of God is here! Do I recognize the signs of these times? Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see what you wish to teach me today.
Prayers
My compassionate Jesus, Your heart was filled with the deepest compassion for the Pharisees. That compassion led You to express a holy sorrow over their stubbornness. Give me Your same heart, dear Lord, and help me to grieve not only over the sins of others, but also over my own sins, especially when I am stubborn of heart. Melt my heart, dear Lord, and help me to also be an instrument of Your holy sorrow to those in need of this grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, may I always recognize your saving presence in my life and never forget your promises when I encounter trials and difficulties. Give me a faith that never wavers, a hope that never fades, and a love that never grows cold.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 43: Patience in Hardship
What is of greater value to God? To be successful in all that you set out to do, or to endure every hardship of life in patience and peace? Many may struggle with this question and want to choose both. Certainly it is easy to see that if we set out to accomplish the Will of God and all that He wants of us, this will be of great value for the Kingdom of God. But what if that which God calls us to do is to embrace patience and peace in the midst of some apparent struggle of difficulty? Is this of great value? Yes, it is of the greatest value because in this process of growing in patient endurance we are made truly holy (See Diary #86).
What is it that is most difficult for you each and every day? What tries your patience more than anything? Do you look at this trial as an “obstacle” to happiness and fulfillment in life? If so, try to look at it from a different perspective. Try to see any difficulty as an opportunity for virtue and, in particular, an opportunity for personal growth in patience. Growing in that virtue delights the Heart of Christ and is of the greatest value for His Kingdom.
Lord, I surrender to You those things that are most difficult for me. I thank You for them and believe that they are what will help me grow in holiness more than anything. I especially offer to You (mention any personal difficulty). Receive it Lord as my offering to You and give me the grace to transform it into love and Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
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