They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over – seven baskets. – Mark 8:8

       My mom, aunt and I just had a hearty lunch when my aunt requested the waitress, “Miss, could you wrap the pla-pla (St. Peter’s fish) for me?” Only the head and bones were left but those are the parts of the fish she enjoys the most. Aunt Vy is known to be frugal and believes nothing should go to waste.

      In today’s Gospel, Jesus miraculously fed 4,000 people with seven loaves and a few fish, and they ate and were satisfied. And the disciples even collected seven baskets of leftover food.

        Lesson 1: When God provides for our needs, He gives us more than what we ask for so we can share His blessings with others. Maybe the disciples gave extra food to the people to take home or gave to the needy they met along the way.

      Lesson 2: Whatever little we offer to God, He multiplies. For Him, everything has a purpose. In His divine scheme of things, nothing and no one goes to waste: Mary, the innocent teenage girl, became the virgin mother of Jesus; Peter, the impulsive fisherman, became the first pope; St. Therese of Lisieux, a sickly young Carmelite who never left the convent, became patroness of missions. Dina Pecaña (dina.p@shepherdsvoice.com.ph)

Reflection:Give to Jesus whatever little you have and see what great things He can do in and through you.

Father, whatever little I have, I offer to You. Use me to bring Your great love and mercy to others. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Do you blame others for your own fault? Beware. Blaming others and refusing to take responsibility for your actions are consequences of sin. Remember that being responsible for your actions is at the heart of true discipleship.

9 The Lord God called to Adam and asked him, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” 11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” 12 The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me — she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.” 13 The Lord God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.” 14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” 16 To the woman he said: “I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall be your master.” 17 To the man he said: “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, “Cursed be the ground because of you! In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your life. 18 Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, as you eat of the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat, until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; for you are dirt, and to dirt you shall return.” 20 The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living. 21 For the man and his wife the Lord God made leather garments, with which he clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said: “See! The man has become like one of us, knowing what is good and what is evil! Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life also, and thus eat of it and live forever.” 23 The Lord God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken. 24 When he expelled the man, he settled him east of the garden of Eden; and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

R: In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

2 Before the mountains were begotten and the earth and the world were brought forth, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (R) 3 You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men.” 4 For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night. (R) 5 You make an end of them in their sleep; the next morning they are like the changing grass, 6 which at dawn springs up anew, but by evening wilts and fades. (R) 12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. 13 Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! (R)

GOSPEL F

Jesus’ reaction is one of mercy and compassion for the people. Like Jesus, His disciple must grow in compassion for others. Do you accept this challenge of discipleship? The Church needs men and women who follow Jesus in the most radical way. Are you one of them?

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

1 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, 2 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” 5 Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.” 6 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8 They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over — seven baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people. He dismissed the crowd 10 and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

think: Do you doubt Jesus’ capacity to provide for all your needs? Why?

Read the Bible in one year  1 Corinthians 9-12

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

FILLED WITH COMPASSION

Do not be mistaken if you are thinking you have read this story before — in fact, it is twice recorded in the Gospel of Mark and also found in the other Gospels. You will notice, however, that in Mark 6:30-44, there are some slight changes.

       In this Gospel story (Mark 8), the disciples are outside the territory of Galilee; in the other story (Mark 6), Jesus is filled with compassion for the people because they are like “sheep without a shepherd.” Here, Jesus’ compassion is felt because “they have no food.” In the Gospel today, they have seven loaves; in the other, there were five. Here they have a few small fish, while in Mark 6, there were two. Here also, seven basketful of leftovers were collected, while back in Mark 6, 12 were collected.

     It’s amazing when you read the stories and find slight differences. Each writer has his own story and purpose to convey. In Galilee, the feeding of the crowd symbolizes the feeding of the whole children of Israel — 12 tribes, 12 baskets. Here, outside the region of Galilee, in the Decapolis region or Gentile territory, the feeding of the crowd teaches us that the love of God knows no bounds. The seven baskets were large enough to contain all the leftovers. The number seven is the complete number in Jewish mentality. Both Jews and Gentiles are fed here; such is the compassion of God.

       Jesus is worried that they might collapse due to hunger. The disciples are worried about how they were going to feed the crowd. Jesus and His disciples work together to feed them. In the end, “all are satisfied.”

       Many of us hunger for love, healing, mercy, peace and so on. Here, Jesus ministers to the hungry in a physical and spiritual way. They are satisfied; no one is left wanting. So, too, with us. Jesus provides for our nourishment in all areas of life.

       Let us ask Jesus to bless our lives out of the little we can offer Him. As we turn to Him in our need and hunger, we shall find satisfaction. He will never leave us unsatisfied — He is filled with compassion. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

What do you hunger for?

Lord, thank You for Your love and compassion. Thank You that You will fill my hunger and satisfy my needs. Amen.