Today's Gospel with comment: February 18, 2020

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark 8,14-21.
At that time, the disciples had forgotten to take loaves and had only one bread with them on the boat.
Then he admonished them saying: "Be careful, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod!"
And they said among themselves: "We have no bread."
But Jesus, realizing this, said to them: «Why do you argue that you have no bread? Don't you mean and still don't understand? Do you have a hardened heart?
Do you have eyes and do not see, do you have ears and do not hear? And you don't remember,
when I broke the five loaves by the five thousand, how many baskets full of pieces did you take away? ». They said to him, "Twelve."
"And when I broke the seven loaves by the four thousand, how many bags full of pieces did you take away?" They said to him, "Seven."
And he said to them, "Don't you understand yet?"
Liturgical translation of the Bible

Saint Gertrude of Helfta (1256-1301)
bandaged nun

Exercises, n ° 5; SC 127
“Don't you see? Don't you understand yet? "
"O God, you are my God, from the dawn I seek you" (Ps 63 Vulg). (…) Oh most serenely light of my soul, bright morning, it becomes dawn in me; it shines on me with such clarity that "in your light we see the light" (Ps 36,10). My night is turned into day because of you. Oh my beloved morning, for the sake of your love give me to retain nothing and vanity all that is not you. Visit me from early morning, to soon transform myself entirely into you. (…) Destroy what exists of my self; make it pass totally in you so that never again can I find myself in me in this limited time, but that it remains closely united to you for eternity. (...)

When will I be satisfied with such a great and resplendent beauty? Jesus, magnificent morning star (Rev 22,16), shining with divine clarity, when will I be illuminated by your presence? Oh, if down here I could only perceive even in a small part the delicate rays of your beauty (...), have at least a taste of your sweetness and taste in advance you who are my inheritance (cf. Ps 16,5: 5,8). (...) You are the shining mirror of the Holy Trinity that only a pure heart can contemplate (Mt XNUMX): up there face to face, down here only reflected.