A time of Lexio devena for the discerning heart.

Friday of the eighth week in ordinary time.

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.

For the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of the stay to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart, Jesus, I trust in you.

You take over. Become aware that he is with you,

looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within your heart.

A reading from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11, verses 11 through 26.

After he had been acclaimed by the crowds, Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.

He looked all around him, but as it was now late, he went out to Bethany with the 12.

Next day, as they were leaving Bethany, he felt

hungry. Seeing a fig tree and leaf some distance away, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it.

But when he came up to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not yet the season for figs.

And he addressed the fig tree. May no one ever eat fruit from

you again, he said. And his disciples heard him say this. So they reached Jerusalem and went into

the temple and began driving out those who were selling and buying there. He upset the tables of the

money changers and the chairs of those who are selling

pigeons, nor would he allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he taught them and said,

Does not Scripture say, My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples, but you have

turned it into a robber's dead.

This came to the ears of the chief priests and scribes,

and they tried to find some way of doing away with him.

They were afraid of him because the people were carried away by his teaching.

...