Holy Martyr Callistratus and His Companions; Our Venerable Father Nilus, Founder and Hegumen of the Grottaferrata Monastery
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Ephesians 1:7-17; Mark 8:1-10
Jesus’s compassion, if we pull back the veil to see the Greek under the English, is the kind of compassion one feels viscerally, in one’s guts. This urgent sense of compassion is contrasted with the apostles who wonder, “how can we feed these men with bread here in the desert.” One can’t help but see the irony here. These good Jews should be aware that their Lord provides in a time of scarcity, particularly in deserts. Recall the blessing of manna that he showered down for the Israelites walking in the wilderness. The cycle repeats itself. Instead of the passionate Moses before the cool stubbornness of the Israelites, now there is the compassionate Jesus before the incredulous apostles.
The only bridge between the incredulous and the incarnate Lord is a miracle that meets our needs. In our churches and in our lives we may pray for miracles, before an icon, whispered secretly in our hearts. But it is not enough to have a mighty display of power for its own sake. No the Lord’s power is always aimed at salvation. It is always aimed at bringing abundance out of scarcity. To feed the hungry. This is the difference between a magician and a saviour.