Daily Readings - Sat Feb 16 2019
Genesis
9But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"10He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."11And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"12The man said, "The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."14So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."16To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."17To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.18It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."20Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.21The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.22And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."23So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.24After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Mark
1During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said,2"I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.3If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."4His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?"5"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied.6He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so.7They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.8The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.9About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away,10he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments of human encounter with God. The first reading from Genesis recounts the story of Adam and Eve after their disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Here, we see the consequences of sin—shame, blame-shifting, and the introduction of suffering into the world. Yet, even amidst judgment, there is a glimmer of hope: the promise of enmity between the serpent and the woman, and the ultimate victory of her offspring over evil. This passage reminds us that sin separates us from God, but God does not abandon us; instead, He provides for us, as seen in the garments He makes for Adam and Eve.
The Gospel from Mark presents a very different scene: Jesus, moved by compassion, feeds a crowd of four thousand people with just seven loaves of bread and a few fish. This miracle, like the feeding of the five thousand earlier in Mark’s Gospel, reveals Jesus as the Bread of Life, who satisfies our deepest hungers. Just as God provided garments for Adam and Eve in their nakedness, Jesus provides food for those who are physically and spiritually hungry. Both readings highlight God’s mercy and His desire to restore us, even when we have fallen short.
These readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God. Like Adam and Eve, we often hide from God when we are aware of our sinfulness. Yet, Jesus shows us a God who seeks us out, who feeds us, and who restores us. In our daily lives, we are called to trust in God’s providence, even when we face scarcity or hardship. Let us turn to Him with humility and gratitude, knowing that He is always near, ready to satisfy our deepest needs and lead us back to the Paradise of His love.