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?
The peace of the Lord be with you.
As children, we have a tendency to see the world in very concrete ways. As we mature we are encouraged and introduced to things that make us think more abstractly. Our scripture passage today demonstrates to us how Jesus is trying to draw his disciples more deeply into the mysteries of God. In this particular instance, he’s trying to encourage them to be very thoughtful about who they imitate and follow. They like young children because they are in their infancy as his disciples they think about things very concretely.
As we grow in faith, Jesus and the entire Trinity will encourage us to think more deeply and to challenge the ways we have acted and thought about things in the past. At these moments, it will be helpful to have a more mature Spiritual director and/or educational materials that can help guide us as questions surface and address concerns that may seem overwhelming.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.