(Tuesday, February 18)
Imagine a person sitting in an easy chair spending the day watching “fitness” videos on the TV. Even if the person spends the entire day learning terms, listening to theory, and watching actors go through various exercises, that person is no more fit at the end of the experience than when he began. To benefit from a “fitness” video, a person must “do the exercises,” not just watch others do them.
God is in the “spiritual fitness” business. When he teaches, he does not stand at a podium and deliver lectures. He expects us “to do” rather than “to sit.”
Today’s Psalm (94:12-15, 18-19) talks about God as “instructor.”
“Blessed the man whom you instruct, O Lord, whom by your law you teach.”
What a privilege to enroll in God’s school and have him be our teacher. But, watch out, he teaches by involving us in the process.
Listen to St. James (1:12-18).
“Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him.”
God teaches us, not just by talking about fire, but by walking us through the fire. Rather than protect us from temptations, he lets us be tempted in many ways. Each temptation is an opportunity for us to grow in perseverance and prove ourselves to be worthy of the “crown of life.”
In the gospel passage (Mark 8:14-21) we learn about the frustrations Jesus had in trying to instruct his disciples.
Consistent with their sense of irresponsibility, the disciples forgot to bring bread on the boat. While they were blaming each other for having no food for lunch, Jesus began to teach them.
“Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
Still preoccupied with their growling stomachs, the disciples thought Jesus was getting on their cases for forgetting to bring food. When Jesus caught wind of their discussion he said,
“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?”
The disciples had just been personally involved in one of the greatest miracles ever seen on earth—the multiplication of loaves. They were caught up in the wonder of God’s great act of generosity, and noted that in one case “twelve” wicker baskets of bread fragments were left over, and in another case “seven” basket of fragments were picked up. The “fulfillment” numbers, twelve and seven, explained the meaning of this divine intervention. Instead of dwelling on the experience and reflecting on its meaning, they took a “recess” from class and started thinking about the “snack machine.”
Poor Jesus. How frustrating to work with men whose hearts were hardened, whose eyes were blind and ears deaf. God went to all the trouble to multiply bread—the first such incident on planet earth—and the disciples missed the point. Just as Jesus was ready to talk about the danger of absorbing the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod, the disciples had already closed themselves down.
Each day God takes us through a series of learning experiences—temptations, blessings, miracles, divine words. Are we taking his instruction to heart and letting his action in our lives change us? Or are we stuck in our easy chairs thinking about lunch?
“He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures” (James 1: 18).
