In the gospel passage for today's liturgy (Mk 8:11-13), we see a glimpse of Jesus' humanity. The pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus ... He sighed deeply ... and said: 'Why does this generation seek a sign?' (Mk 8:11-12). Every one of us has had such a day: when we have spent what seems to us to be a significant amount of time explaining something, we may think that others understand what we have said, but there will always be someone who doesn't. When they ask a question that seems to betray the fact that they have not been attentive to our words, we can become exasperated, just like Jesus.
At times such as these, there is great wisdom in the letter of James. The writer advises that we should consider it a joy ... when we encounter various trials (Jas 1:2) for ... the testing of our faith produces perseverance (Jas 1:3).
We cannot always control the situations we will face in a given day, but we can control the way we react to those situations. Today, pray for the grace to recognize the challenges that are placed in your path not as occasions to become exasperated, but rather as opportunities to see such trials as God at work, testing our faith and teaching us to persevere. After all, anything truly worth possessing - such as the gift of perseverance - is worth the work that we put into learning how to recognize and appreciate its presence in our lives.
Have a great day.
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