Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started! Today is Tuesday, February 17th, and the gospel reading is Mark 8, 14-21, and the scripture to reflect on is Mark 8, 15.
And he cautioned them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
Jesus saw the disciples looking around for bread.
He decided he would teach them something very important.
He said, Be careful about the yeast of the Pharisees and King Herod.
The disciples did not understand why Jesus told them this.
They thought he said this because they had forgotten the bread.
Jesus had talked about yeast because that is an ingredient used to make bread rise.
When bread is inside the oven, it rises.
All it takes is a little bit of yeast to make the bread get bigger.
Jesus loved the disciples.
He knew that they could help others know about God’s love, so he reminded them about how they saw him feed many people with just a little bread and fish.
Only God could have done something as big as that.
Today’s saints of the day are seven founders of the Servant Order.
They were born in the 13th century, and their death is unknown.
They are the patron saints of Italy.
Seven men gathered in prayer.
They asked God big questions.
How should we live?
What should we do?
How should we pray?
They believed that Mary, the mother of God, appeared to them in vision, showing them what to do next.
They needed to live away from the world and keep praying and keep listening.
During their time away from the world, they came up with some strict rules to live by.
They decided not to have or do.
Why?
These seven men weren’t saying that God is harsh and strict.
The rules were a lesson for others, and the lesson was this.
Jesus is all that everyone needs.
The seven founders were joined by many people who devoted themselves to prayer.
The servants grew in number and eventually spread as far as India.
Jesus wants us to be careful about what we listen to as well.
Whether it is the TV, radio, friends, or books, they can all change how we think about things.
The most important one to listen to is Jesus.
We can listen to him when we read our Bible or at Mass.
Jesus will help us to know how to make the right choices.
Just as Mary called herself the servant of the Lord, the friars tried to imitate her by living lives of service to God.
They lived through prayer, poverty, and penance in a spirit of service.
As a group, they started foundations in many countries.
Today, the servants are found throughout the world.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help us to be a good example to all, just like you were.
And help us to spread your good news to the world.
The seven holy founders pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!