To Ponder Past Huh? to Aha!

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, February 18, 2020 – Lectionary 336 (Mark 8:14-21)

In today’s Gospel Jesus warns the disciples to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, and they all go ‘huh?’  And so Jesus goes ‘huh?’ to them – you don’t understand? your don’t comprehend? you have eyes to see? ears to hear?  Because, I think, life requires reflection, pondering – not just surviving  or doing.  But to reflect on life.  John of the Cross writes, “Seek in reading and you will find in meditation; knock in prayer, and it will be opened to you in contemplation.”  I think that’s the invitation, the call of today’s Gospel, is to pray, to reflect, to knock.  And these things do become known and evident.  Instead of going “huh?” we might go “aha!”