+(Intro) Though it is Valentine’s day, we celebrate the memorial of Sts Cyril and Methodius, teachers of the faith in Slavic countries back in the 9th century. As we begin to celebrate these mysteries let us be mindful of our sins, our failures to be the loving persons we are called to be.
(After the gospel) Our readings from the Book of Kings and then the gospel of Mark are reminders this morning of the dangers of wealth and power and how Jesus is especially mindful of the poor, the isolated of society. We heard of Jeroboam making two calves of gold and telling the people: “Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.:
One does not have to listen to the news very long before realizing how riches and the influence from it too easily become the gods of our culture. From the earliest days of the monastic way of life there has been a strong emphasis on poverty and simplicity of life. And might this be what new aspirants are looking for? What monks saw from the beginning was that when they become like the crowd in our gospel that finds itself hungry and in a deserted place, they are then fed by the miraculous intervention of the Lord Jesus.
At this altar, we celebrate Christ’s giving us the living bread that has come down from heaven. Here we are fed with Christ’s very own Body and Blood that is the Life of the world. To the extent that we know we are in a deserted place, do we know our true hunger and be ready to be fed.
1Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34; Mark 8:1-10