When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them, and He cured their sick. – Matthew 14:14

       When I was young, I’d describe Church as a place where stiff people sit together in pews. An un-engaging presider leads an alienated congregation. Pouting people pray together yet are indifferent to each other. People stand-sing-sit-listen-stand-listen-kneel. Old men brandish expensive watches, older women talk in whispers, lovers snuggle, young ones glance at their crush, and kids make noise even when they’re shushed.

      The good news is that the present Church is cool! And it’s continuously blessing and refreshing God’s people. A  cool Church is where God’s people unwind in His presence as family and friends. The presiding priest energetically leads the equally responsive congregation. Smiling and loving people pray together. It’s a full house yet everyone knows each other by name. People learn God’s Word, worship in the Holy Mass and sing praise songs.

       What is in the heart of the Church? U R! You are in the heart of the Church! You are in the heart of God. Go and bring His heart of love to the world! Obet Cabrillas (obetcab@yahoo.com)

Reflection: Don’t complain that church bores you if you don’t contribute to its liveliness.

Shepherd of my soul, I give You full control, wherever You may lead, I will follow.

Moses is sick of being the focus of the complaints of the Chosen People. It was God’s idea, not his, to lead them out into the desert. Moses complains to God about his problems. It is important that we do not blame God for our own shortcomings. However, God is big enough to be able to handle our complaints on the difficulty of being His disciple. Just be sure that your commitment to obey His will does not wane.

4 The children of Israel lamented, “Would that we had meat for food! 5 We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt, and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now we are famished; we see nothing before us but this manna.” 7 Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin. 8 When they had gone about and gathered it up, the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar, then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves, which tasted like cakes made with oil. 9 At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell. 10 When Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents, so that the Lord became very angry, he was grieved. 11 “Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the Lord. “Why are you so displeased with me that you burden me with all this people? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Or was it I who gave them birth, that you tell me to carry them at my bosom, like a foster father carrying an infant, to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers? 13 Where can I get meat to give to all this people? For they are crying to me, ‘Give us meat for our food.’ 14 I cannot carry all this people by myself, for they are too heavy for me. 15 If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face this distress.”

R: Sing with joy to God our help.

11 [12] “My people heard not my voice, and Israel obeyed me not; 12 [13] So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts; they walked according to their own counsels.” (R) 13 [14] “If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, 14 [15] Quickly would I humble their enemies; against their foes I would turn my hand.” (R) 15 [16] “Those who hated the Lord would seek to flatter me, but their fate would endure forever, 16 [17] while Israel I would feed with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them.” (R)

Jesus miraculously feeds a multitude of people. In part the story is about trust – when we entrust our situation to the Lord with faith, then anything is possible. We may not know how the situation will end, but Jesus assures us that He will be there to help us. The Gospel story encourages us to share our gifts or what we have, no matter how small it is. That is all we can do and we simply have to trust that God will provide what is lacking or show us the rest of the way through the problem or difficulty.

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

13 When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. 14 When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” 17 But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” 18 Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” 19 and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over — twelve wicker baskets full. 21 Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

 think: What are your five loaves and two fish? Bring them to God to multiply.

Read the Bible in one year 1 Maccabees 15-16

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

A STORY OF CONTRASTS

Last year, a very sad thing happened in Kidapawan, North Cotabato. Hungry farmers were blockading the main road, asking for urgent help from government, after a long, dry spell brought about by the El Niño phenomenon. It happened at the height of election campaigns.

       Local leaders were frantically looking for the easiest way to disperse them as party leaders from up north were coming to campaign, and they wouldn’t tolerate the unsightly presence of those lower-caste creatures. They were blocking the only passable route to their campaign sorties. They did the unconscionable. They fired at the hapless farmers, killing three and wounding many more.

       Today, we are told how Moses was getting impatient with God as people were getting impatient with him. All they had was manna, and they sure could use a little change in their diet. They were sorely missing meat. Moses pleaded with the Lord: ”If this is the way You deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face this people.” But we do know that Moses remained the great leader he was.

       Last year’s sad event in Mindanao was quite the opposite. The local leaders were the ones who took violent action against their people and opened fire. I cried, for I knew that their bosses were precisely campaigning to be placed in elective posts so they could serve the people. But here was a chance for them to show that they cared and that they truly meant to serve the needy people, and yet they blew it.

      There was another crowd who did no blockading, but who “followed on foot” to go where Jesus went. The Lord’s “heart was moved with pity,” and ordered His disciples to give food themselves. “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

       It was all they had, and it was all He needed.

       The poor farmers had no guns, no bullets, no swords, no weapons. They only had an honest and sincere plea. All of a sudden, in my grief, I missed Moses.

       “Lord, send us leaders like Moses!” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

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

Do you pray for and seek justice for the least, the last and the lost in our midst?

Father, let me not turn a blind eye to the injustices around me. Move me to act as Jesus did for the crowd who followed Him. Amen.