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Every Good Gift Comes from Above
Where We Are
On this Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, we continue reading James's letter and Mark's Gospel for the last day before Lent begins. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and today's readings carry a quiet urgency as the final voice of Ordinary Time before the penitential season opens. James teaches about the nature of temptation and God's goodness, reminding us that every good gift comes from the Father of lights. Meanwhile, Jesus challenges his disciples about spiritual blindness, warning them against the leaven of the Pharisees. These readings serve as a fitting threshold, calling us to clear vision and honest self-examination as we prepare to enter the Lenten desert.
The Word
James clarifies a vital truth: God does not tempt anyone. Temptation comes from our own desires, which conceive sin and lead to death. In contrast, every good gift and perfect present comes from the Father of lights, in whom there is no variation or shadow. God is constant, generous, and wholly good. The psalm responds with trust in divine instruction. In the Gospel, the disciples are in the boat and realize they forgot to bring bread, having only one loaf. Jesus warns them to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." The disciples think he is talking about bread. Jesus responds with a series of pointed questions: Do you not remember the feedings? How many baskets were left over? "Do you still not understand?"
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Reflect
Jesus' frustration with his disciples is palpable in this exchange. They have witnessed two extraordinary feeding miracles, five thousand and then four thousand, with abundant leftovers both times. Yet here they are, anxious about having only one loaf. They have seen abundance with their own eyes and still default to scarcity thinking.
Jesus' warning about the "leaven" of the Pharisees and of Herod Antipas is about something far more dangerous than bread. Leaven works invisibly, permeating dough from the inside. The Pharisees' leaven is their demand for signs and their substitution of tradition for genuine encounter with God. Herod's leaven is moral cowardice, choosing political expediency over truth. Both forms of corruption work slowly and quietly, distorting perception until you can no longer see what is right in front of you.
James identifies the root of this distortion: our own disordered desires. We are tempted not by God but by the internal pull toward self-gratification, self-protection, and self-sufficiency. Left unchecked, these desires "conceive" sin, and sin, when fully grown, brings death.
But James also offers the remedy: recognize that every good gift comes from above. God is not the source of our temptation; he is the source of every true blessing. When we learn to trace our blessings back to God rather than crediting our own efforts, we loosen the grip of the scarcity thinking that blinded the disciples.
Tomorrow Lent begins. These readings are a perfect preparation: examine what invisible leaven may be distorting your spiritual vision, and trust the Father of lights who gives only good gifts.
Living It
Today, as the last day before Lent, prepare your heart with honest self-examination. First, identify the "leaven" in your life: what subtle attitudes or habits are slowly distorting your faith? Is it the Pharisees' religious performance? Herod's moral compromise? Name it honestly. Second, combat scarcity thinking by counting three specific gifts God has given you this past week. Like the disciples, we forget past provision when facing present need. Third, decide on your Lenten practice for the season beginning tomorrow. Whether it is fasting, almsgiving, or increased prayer, choose something that addresses the specific leaven you identified.
Prayer
Father of lights, in whom there is no shadow or change, we thank you for every good gift you pour into our lives. Forgive us for the times we have forgotten your provision and given in to fear. As Lent begins tomorrow, open our eyes to see the leaven that has quietly distorted our hearts. Protect us from blaming you for our temptations, and help us trace every blessing back to your generous hand. Prepare us for the journey ahead. Amen.
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