Reading I
Jas 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.
Gospel
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.
Meditation: Mark 8:11-13
You’re going about your business, when out of the blue someone makes a snide comment to your face. What do you do?
If you’re like most people, you would get angry, and you would be tempted to make a vengeful retort. If you’re already stressed, that same comment might make you explode into a rage. But with the eyes of faith, we can see how these reactions are a sign that our fallen nature might be taking over—and that it’s a good time to remember what Jesus did in that same kind of situation.
Surrounded by enemies who were constantly testing him, Jesus would have been justified in losing his temper. He was fully human, after all, so their slights would have hurt him just as much as they might hurt us. But Jesus never returned their hostility with venom of his own. When his tormentors asked him for yet another sign, Jesus “sighed from the depth of his spirit” (Mark 8:12). Although clearly frustrated by their persistent unbelief, he didn’t retaliate. He simply gave them his message and then quietly moved on.
Jesus had a phenomenal mastery over his emotional life! Unlike us, who don’t need much to provoke us to pride or defensive anger, Jesus always chose the way of humility. He knew that he didn’t have to promote himself. He knew that his mission was to do his Father’s will and to make him known. In this way, as in so many other ways, he showed himself to be the “perfect Son.”
But all is not lost for us. We can do more than just try with all our might to imitate Jesus—or worse, just give up in the face of such a challenge. Jesus’ own divine strength can become our strength. Because he experienced all the temptations we face and yet never gave in, we can ask him to bear our aggravation and frustrations. Because he offered a perfect sacrifice on the cross, we can share in his victorious life. When we embrace godly self-control in our moments of anger, it’s a sign that his Spirit is at work in us. Then, people won’t see our “bad side”—they’ll see only Jesus!
“Lord Jesus, I marvel that you took on my ‘messy’ emotions as well as my sin. Fill me with your compassion so that I can forgive and love those who hurt me.”
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