“We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.”

“What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.” – C.S. Lewis: (1898 –1963: was a British novelist, poet, & academic)

Gospel Text: (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?"

Today’s Gospel passage makes no sense without yesterday’s. Yesterday, we heard the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven “to test him.” Today Jesus warns the disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees. Leaven here is a symbol for their skeptical disposition, their need to see a sign in order to believe Jesus is from God. Leaven changes the bread by making it rise, just as their need to test Jesus changes their faith and relationship to God. Their skepticism makes it impossible for the Pharisees to see that God is with Jesus, to see that sign in what Jesus has already done, just as a little leaven changes the whole loaf. In this metaphor, leaven makes the bread different from the bread used at Passover, another sign of God’s covenant with God’s people. Jesus is just trying to get the disciples to understand that He is the unleavened bread, the new sign of the covenant!

Sometimes it seems to take an overabundance of divine brilliance to get our attention. Have we eyes of faith to see what is right in front of us?

“There may be a thousand little choices in a day. All of them count.”

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” ― Aristotle: (384–322 BC: was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist)

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.

Today’s readings from Mass are an example of how much God loves us by giving us the ability to choose. There are no predetermined options, the way we live is up to us.  There are no illusions. Our choices are on us.

By asking us to look within ourselves God is letting us choose how we live our lives. Are we a sign of faith, hope, or love? Do we see the good things God’s presence in our lives bring us and give praise?

God’s love for us is so great  that he is still with us even when some of our choices aren’t so great. Today let’s pray that our daily actions, words, and deeds become a symbol to others. The sign we hang doesn’t have to be big and flashy just simple and clear. Make good choices and love one another.

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”

Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin, all hope consists in confession; in confession there is a chance for mercy --St. Isidore of Seville: (560 – 636: a scholar and for over three decades, Archbishop of Seville)

Scripture Text: (SIR 15:15-20)

If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you;

if you trust in God, you too shall live;

he has set before you fire and water

to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.

Before man are life and death, good and evil,

whichever he chooses shall be given him.

Immense is the wisdom of the Lord;

he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.

The eyes of God are on those who fear him;

he understands man's every deed.

No one does he command to act unjustly,

to none does he give license to sin.

You know the phrase: “Hate the sin, love the sinner…” God understands and forgives us… even after we have sinned – no matter how grievous it may be – as long as we repent – Jesus makes it possible for us to regain that which is most precious in our lives–our human dignity.

But the problem is – People nowadays think that everything can be explained away and justified, rationalized and so people do not think in terms of sin anymore, they no longer feel sorry and therefore they feel there is no need to repent and that is why people do not go to confession anymore… and so they do not experience healing.

Blessed Fulton Sheen said: “Sin is not the worst thing in the world. The worst thing is the denial of sin.”

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth.”

“As an atheist you have to rationalize things. . . . Then you have to try and make some sort of sense out of your problems. And if you try and find you can't, you have no choice but to be good and scared……” – Billy Joel: (born May 9, 1949: is an American singer-songwriter and pianist.)

Scripture Text: (GN 3:9-24)

The LORD God called to Adam and asked him, "Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden;

but I was afraid, because I was naked,

so I hid myself."

Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?

You have eaten, then,

from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"

The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with meB

she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."

The LORD God then asked the woman,

"Why did you do such a thing?"

The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."

Then the LORD God said to the serpent:

"Because you have done this, you shall be banned

from all the animals

and from all the wild creatures;

On your belly shall you crawl,

and dirt shall you eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

He will strike at your head,

while you strike at his heel."

To the woman he said:

"I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing;

in pain shall you bring forth children.

Yet your urge shall be for your husband,

and he shall be your master."

To the man he said: "Because you listened to your wife

and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat,

"Cursed be the ground because of you!

In toil shall you eat its yield

all the days of your life.

Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you,

as you eat of the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your face

shall you get bread to eat,

Until you return to the ground,

from which you were taken;

For you are dirt,

and to dirt you shall return."

The man called his wife Eve,

because she became the mother of all the living.

For the man and his wife the LORD God made leather garments,

with which he clothed them.

Then the LORD God said: "See! The man has become like one of us,

knowing what is good and what is evil!

Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand

to take fruit from the tree of life also,

and thus eat of it and live forever."

The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden,

to till the ground from which he had been taken.

When he expelled the man,

he settled him east of the garden of Eden;

and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword,

to guard the way to the tree of life.

The first reading from Mass today reminds us that there is a rebellious part in each of us, which lets ourselves be seduced by an evil desire to be like God. The result is that God has to ask us the question, "Where are you?"

God knows we are somewhat lost - at least, not at home. The "place" we are in is too often out of sync with who we truly are. We can feel it when we've made choices which compromise our basic sense of who we are. The more we choose independence and isolate ourselves from God's way for us to become integrated into a relationship with God, with our sisters and brothers, and with our planet, we feel "out of sorts." A harmony and communion are missing. We may not know why we are unhappy or angry or feel at odds with so many people, but we know we are not at peace, or "at home." It is like we have been eating junk food - knowing we are cheating our health - yet, we wonder why we don't feel well, feel sluggish and just "off." We consume and try to nourish ourselves on a lot of things, We indulge in all kinds of non-loving behaviors, which don't actually make us happier, which don't build unity, that are toxic to our communion with our God, and don't lead to our being in harmony with ourselves. The result is that sometimes, we don't feel at home with talking with God. We even hide ourselves from God.