Reading 1
Gn 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10
When the LORD saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth,
and how no desire that his heart conceived
was ever anything but evil,
he regretted that he had made man on the earth,
and his heart was grieved.
So the LORD said:
“I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created,
and not only the men,
but also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air,
for I am sorry that I made them.”
But Noah found favor with the LORD.
Then the LORD said to Noah:
“Go into the ark, you and all your household,
for you alone in this age have I found to be truly just.
Of every clean animal, take with you seven pairs,
a male and its mate;
and of the unclean animals, one pair,
a male and its mate;
likewise, of every clean bird of the air, seven pairs,
a male and a female,
and of all the unclean birds, one pair,
a male and a female.
Thus you will keep their issue alive over all the earth.
Seven days from now I will bring rain down on the earth
for forty days and forty nights,
and so I will wipe out from the surface of the earth
every moving creature that I have made.”
Noah did just as the LORD had commanded him.
As soon as the seven days were over,
the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
Ps 29:1a and 2, 3ac-4, 3b and 9c-10
Responsorial PsalmR. (11b)
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Gospel
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?”
Meditation: Mark 8:14-21
“Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened?” (Mark 8:17)
What a curious combination of questions! Jesus must see some kind of link between the disciples’ ability to understand his actions and the state of their hearts. Evidently, Jesus is saying that someone with a hardened heart will find it hard to understand what God is doing— even if it’s happening right in front of him!
But what does it mean to have a “hard” heart? Sometimes it means that we are insensitive—unable to be moved by the things that move God. It may mean that we are closed-minded, so we miss what God is doing because it doesn’t conform to our own expectations. Perhaps we’re harboring anger and resentment, and so we fail to under-stand why a relationship is foundering. Or we may be arrogant, standing in judgment of others and failing to understand their struggles.
So how can we soften our hearts so that we do understand? By letting God work in us! Each day in prayer, ask yourself: What is the state of my heart today? Do I feel love and compassion for those around me? Am I harboring anger or resentment because I haven’t forgiven someone? Am I open to the way God might act in my life, even if it isn’t how I think he should act?
If you feel as if your heart has become hardened, don’t waste any time! Go to the Lord in prayer and ask him to help you. Tell him that you want to surrender any pride, insensitivity, anger, or resentment that is getting in the way. Who knows? You may even need to for-give the Lord himself because he hasn’t done what you thought he should do in a certain situation. Go ahead and talk to Jesus as you would a close friend, telling him all that has kept you bound up. Ask him for a new heart and expect that he will give it to you.
What freedom we will experience as we trade our hearts of stone for hearts of flesh! And, how much more effective we will be in building God’s kingdom on earth!
“Lord, I want a heart softened by your love. I give you everything in me that has caused my heart to harden. Lord, give me your heart of love!”
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