Reading 1
Gn 4:1-15, 25
The man had relations with his wife Eve,
and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,
“I have produced a man with the help of the LORD.”
Next she bore his brother Abel.
Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.
In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD
from the fruit of the soil,
while Abel, for his part,
brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but on Cain and his offering he did not.
Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.
So the LORD said to Cain:
“Why are you so resentful and crestfallen.
If you do well, you can hold up your head;
but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door:
his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.”
Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out in the field.”
When they were in the field,
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
He answered, “I do not know.
Am I my brother’s keeper?”
The LORD then said: “What have you done!
Listen: your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil!
Therefore you shall be banned from the soil
that opened its mouth to receive
your brother’s blood from your hand.
If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce.
You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Cain said to the LORD: “My punishment is too great to bear.
Since you have now banished me from the soil,
and I must avoid your presence
and become a restless wanderer on the earth,
anyone may kill me at sight.”
“Not so!” the LORD said to him.
“If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold.”
So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight.
Adam again had relations with his wife,
and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth.
“God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel,” she said,
“because Cain slew him.”
Ps 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21
Responsorial PsalmR. (14a)
Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.”
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
“You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother’s son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.”
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
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
“Why does this generation seek a sign?” (Mark 8:12)
We can easily understand why Jesus declined to honor the Pharisees’ request for a sign. Mark tells us right away what their motivation was—to test Jesus. For the most part, they already had their minds made up about him. If Jesus did per- form a miracle, they would accuse him of blasphemy. If he didn’t, they would say he was just another false prophet. Jesus wasn’t afraid of what they could do to him—but he knew that even the most amazing miracle he could perform wouldn’t change their opinion.
Still, we may want to give the Pharisees a little credit. They were actually on the defensive here. It was they who were being tested, not Jesus. If they were to accept his claims about himself, they could lose their elite social status as religious leaders. And worse, they would have to rethink their understanding of the Mosaic Law, which they had studied their entire lives. Jesus was asking something very difficult of the Pharisees, and for many of them, the risk was too great.
How about us? Everyone of us is regularly tested by God, as a necessary part of our growth into mature disciples. We can choose to see this testing as a good thing, or we can resist: “Lord, why am I facing this challenging road? Are you sure you want me to do this? Please send me one more sign to convince me that this is your will!” For us, just as for these Pharisees, stretching our faith muscles can hurt sometimes!
Perhaps the greatest thing we can ask for in our walk with the Lord is the grace of surrender. As difficult as it can be at times, there is also great comfort in being able to say: “Your will be done.” If we look at believers like Abraham, Peter, Mary, and Paul, we see that the reward for faithfulness to God’s will far outweighs the cost. Our sacrifices will seem light if we keep our eyes fixed on our goal: “the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus!” (Philippians 3:14).
“Lord, I can’t see the road ahead, so please help me to trust you as I step out in faith. I believe that any step taken in faith is a step forward!”
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