SCC at Thelma and Edward Rebello's place

Mabel De Souza's area had a prayer meeting at the house of Thelma and Edward Rebello, Serene Meadows. The meeting began at 2000 hours, and the text selected was the gospel of the day, with the title The Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. The group found the text difficult to understand, and the priest present had to explain that 'yeast' here meant the bad influence of the Pharisees and of the Herodians. Jesus gets extremely impatient with his disciples for their lack of understanding. Despite the recent miracle of the multiplication of loaves, they think he is worried about bread. They are certainly worried only about bread; they fail to understand Jesus himself.

A good invitation to all of us: are we worried only about bread and the daily necessities of life? Do we really understand Jesus?

Lent has begun. Lent forces us to focus on the difficult part of the life of Jesus: his suffering and death and then his resurrection. What sense does that make to me? "You seek me because you have eaten your fill of bread. Seek not the things that perish, seek instead the bread that endures to eternal life." "An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign. No sign shall be given it, except the sign of Jonah." The sign of Jonah: like Jonah, Jesus will be in the belly of the earth 3 days and 3 nights. The sign that is given us is Jesus' suffering, death, resurrection.

For the record: those present were Thelma, Edward, Rehan, Larina; Augusta; Mabel; Rudy and Helen; and myself.

The next meeting of the area has been fixed for 9 March; place to be decided. Perhaps somewhere in Eden Gardens.