"Listening moves us closer, it helps us become more whole, more healthy, more holy. Not listening creates fragmentation, and fragmentation is the root of all suffering."

"The humble listen to their brothers and sisters because they assume they have something to learn. They are open to correction, and they become wiser through it." - Father Thomas Edward Dubay: (1921 – 2010: was an American Catholic priest, author, and retreat director.)

Gospel Text: (MK 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.

I see this Gospel reading as, yet again, a message of faith and trust. The people who lived at the time of Jesus were fortunate because they could personally witness the amazing signs that he was giving – like feeding the four thousand. But we, too, are fortunate because we can read the stories and imagine ourselves in the crowd seeing, listening, and being part of the experience. For us, that means faith and trust. We can feel God living within us in our daily lives, and we know how great that feels. We don’t have evidence to prove it, and we don’t need any – because we can feel it. My prayer for us is that we all can feel the grace, joy, and happiness that God wants for us and brings into our lives today.