The disciples approached Jesus after He preached to 5,000 men. It was getting late, they said. They were concerned about being in a remote place, so they asked Him to send the crowd away to buy food. Jesus said there was no need to do that and asked them to feed them instead.

I can only imagine how the disciples’ practical and logistical concerns clashed with Jesus’ seemingly impossible command: “You feed them.”

Many times, we miss God’s potential because we dwell on our own shortcomings. We focus on what we can’t do instead of what God can do.

After Jesus blessed the five little loaves and two fish, they multiplied into more than enough. Are you facing requirements that seem too great to handle? Jesus reminds us to offer to Him what we have, no matter how little. This can be a starting point for us to see the miracles as we surrender to God’s provision. 

Randy Borromeo (randyborromeo@gmail.com) 

reflect

What do you have in your hand? Will you allow God to use it to bless the world?

Dear God, I offer to You the little that I have. I give You all that I have. I pray that You take them, use them, multiply them for Your glory. Amen.

St. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop, pray for us.

First Reading | Isaiah 55:1-3

It is God who always takes the initiative. Even when we believe we have arrived at a good idea on our own, it is actually prevenient grace at work within us, guiding our hearts. Conversion is our response to God’s invitation—His offer of love and forgiveness. Isaiah understood this well, which is why his words today carry such beauty and warmth. May we, too, extend that same invitation to others, sharing the Gospel with the same generosity and grace.

¹ Thus says the Lord: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! ² Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. ³ Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18

R: The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

⁸ The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. ⁹ The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. (R) ¹⁵ The eyes of all look hopefully to you, and you give them their food in due season; ¹⁶ you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (R) ¹⁷ The Lord is just in all his ways and holy in all his works. ¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. (R) 

Second Reading | Romans 8:35, 37-39

Paul’s conversion experience is evident in many of his writings, revealing his deep conviction that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Even when we turn away, He continues to pursue us. As disciples of Jesus, we will face difficulties and trials, yet these struggles can draw us closer to Him rather than drive us apart.

³⁵ Brothers and sisters: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? ³⁷ No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Gospel | Matthew 14:13-21 

Perhaps the crowds flocked to Jesus because they saw Him as the natural successor to John’s ministry. Maybe they were John’s followers seeking a new Master. We may never know their exact reasons, but what we do know is that they became disciples of Christ. The proclamation of the Gospel is not about competing for followers but about sharing the truth of God’s love with all humanity. 

Gospel Acclamation

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 Jesus 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.

Reflect

“It would be good to ask ourselves every day: What do I bring to Jesus today? He can do a lot with one of our prayers, with a gesture of charity for others. This is how God loves to act: He does great things, starting from those small things.” (Pope Francis)

Read the Bible in one year! Read 1 MACCABEES 5 - 6 today.

Elsewhere in the Gospels, we hear Jesus chastise the leaders because they constantly demand that the people make sacrifices for their faith. This may be a good thing, but only if it is in moderation. There is a time when having mercy is more important than demanding sacrifice. 

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus having pity on the crowds that have gathered to see Him. First, He heals the sick among them, and then He works a miracle to feed them all. His disciples want to send the people away to find their own food, but Jesus refuses this option and demonstrates God’s love and mercy by choosing to feed them Himself. 

We celebrate this mercy every time we participate in the Mass. The feeding miracles prefigure the Eucharistic communion we have with Jesus in the Mass. Just as He fed the people with food to alleviate their physical hunger, He satisfies our spiritual hunger. Jesus continues to hold nothing back from us 2,000 years after He walked the Earth. We can see that His commitment to us endures to the end. His mercy does not run out.

What about us? Do we live our faith with the long-term goal of eternal life in mind? Are we prepared to surrender to God’s will and continue laying down our lives in the service of God and one another? Jesus calls us to the greater and long term response by showing the way through His own life. 

Like the disciples of Jesus in the Gospel, it is sometimes difficult to see the way through a particular problem. Let us pray that we will always have the grace to look at things through the eyes of a merciful and loving God and that our response will always be in line with this view. 

Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL 

reflection questions

Do you tend to demand a lot from the people around you, or are you merciful in the way you relate to others? How well do you lead by example?

Holy Spirit, You are the one who gives me the strength to love. Help me to open my heart to that grace and learn to love with mercy just as God loves me. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _____________________________________