AUGUST 03, 2014 : EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME year A

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 112

Reading 1IS 55:1-3

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!
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.
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 PS 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18

R/ (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, 
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R/ The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R/ The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R/ The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Reading 2 ROM 8:35, 37-39

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? 
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us. 
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, 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 MT 14:13-21

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. 
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. 
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.” 
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.” 
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” 
Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”
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. 
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full. 
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.

www.usccb.org

Scripture Study

August 3, 2014 - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

FIRST READING: Isaiah 55:1-3. Thus says the Lord: "Every one who thirsts come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David."

EXPLANATION:
The prophet (second-Isaiah), living among the Jewish exiles in Babylon, utters words of consolation for the despairing exiles. Here he tells them that Yahweh is inviting them to a banquet which he freely gives them. Yahweh alone can provide for their real needs; they are foolish to look elsewhere for consolation or help. If they cooperate he will fulfill the promise he had made to David (cf. 2 Sm. 7: 14-16; Ps. 2: 7). the promise of a future Messiah.
Thus says the Lord: The prophet is speaking as God's mouth-piece.
who thirts: God will not only quench their thirst with water, but he offers them wine, milk and bread-the makings of a banquet for a people suffering from hunger.
without money: All these gifts are free; they will not have to pay for them.
why . . . money: Many of the exiles were inclined to desert Yahweh, their God. because they thought he had failed them. He tells them that trust in any false god is wasted effort.
hear . . . live: He alone can give them life and preserve them as a nation.
an everlasting covenant: If they remain loyal to him he will make a new and everlasting covenant with them. He will fulfill the promise already made to David: he will place a descendant of David on the throne of Judah (the Messiah), one whose reign will last forever.

APPLICATION: It was their own sins, their own disloyalty to Yahweh, that brought the Babylonian Exile on the Jews. In their exile many of them lost all faith and trust in him. Thus, we cannot but be amazed at the infinite forgiveness and mercy of Yahweh. The Jews deserved to be abandoned to the fate they had earned for themselves, but Yahweh did not abandon them. He sent his prophets. Ezekiel and second-Isaiah (so called because his prophecies were joined on to Isaiah by a later editor), and later Haggai and Zechariah, to console and comfort them with the promise that they would return to their native land and survive, as a people, until the coming of the Messiah. He would establish an everlasting kingdom and an everlasting pact or covenant.

Infinite mercy and forgiveness towards the exiles were exercised by God not only for the Jews of that time but especially for us Christians. The return of the exiles from Babylon, their re-establishment in Palestine, were all necessary parts of God's plan in preparation for the coming of Christ. Because of the, mercy shown to these rebellious Jews we are Christians today. We partake of the banquet which God offered to the Jews in Babylon, through his prophet. It is with us, his Church, 99 per cent Gentile, that he has made the new and everlasting covenant. He has made a pact with us: if we follow Christ and his teaching on earth we shall have the eternal possession of the promised land of heaven.

Today, therefore, we must look on these words of second-Isaiah as the words of God spoken to us. He tells us to come to him and trust in him and he will provide for our real needs. He has an eternal banquet prepared for us. He warns us not to waste our lives and our substance on perishable things---the things of this life, which will not and cannot satisfy our real needs. Let us "hear, that our soul may live"; let us pay heed to his request if we have our own best and true interests at heart. We want to live happily, not for seventy or even a hundred years, but forever; this we can do only by listening to God's word and by putting it into daily practice.

SECOND READING: Romans 8:35; 37-39. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

EXPLANATION:
In the preceding verses of this chapter (see last Sunday), St. Paul has been telling the Roman converts of the blessings and divine gifts which faith has brought them. He concludes the chapter with a hymn in praise of God's love for us: "with God on our side," he says "who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. When God absolves could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No, he not only died for us---he rose from the dead and there at God's right hand he stands and pleads for us" (8:31-34). Then come today's versa which are rhetorical questions, showing that there is no power in heaven or on earth that can take away or lessen God's love for us as manifested in Christ, his Incarnate Son.
Who . . . us: Having seen the proofs of God's love in the past, the crowning act of which was the Incarnation, what Christian could even suspect that God's love would now change?
from the love of Christ: This does not mean our love for Christ, but his and the Father's love for us. That will not change; nothing can change it.
tribulation . . . sword: Paul enumerates the many sufferings and hardships a Christian may have to undergo in this life.
more . . . conquers: Instead of thinking that these sufferings are a proof that God no longer loves us, we should see that they are proof that he does love us, for they are the means used "by him who loves us" to bring us to our eternal perfection and happiness.
neither . . . life: No power in this world nor in heaven is able to take away from us the love of God. He had this love for us, when he sent us his Son in human nature. He still has love for us, for that Son in his human and divine nature is ever at God's right hand pleading for us (verse 34).

APPLICATION: The purpose of this reading from St. Paul in today's Mass is to get us Christians to think for a few moments on the immense, infinite love God has for us. Many, if not all, of us are inclined to pay too much heed to our own weaknesses and to despair of ever reaching heaven. What we forget is that God, the Infinite, the all loving is on our side, and that he has a positive interest in every single one of us.

Before he created the world we were in God's mind; he had plans for us. Not only did he intend to make man the masterpiece and master of all earthly creatures, but he planned to make him his own adopted son, by means of the Incarnation. This made man a brother of Christ, heir to an eternal life of happiness with him. Only infinite love could think of such a thing; only infinite power could do it. God is both. God is unchangeable. That infinite love for mankind which made him send his divine Son on earth in order to bring us to heaven, has not weakened or changed. It cannot. He wants every individual of the human race in heaven, and he has done and continues to do all that is necessary for this to be realized. God's love therefore is never withdrawn from us. When we sin we fall out with God, but he does not fall out with us. He still loves us and wants us to return to him. There are sinners who will not ask for forgiveness because of their wrong idea of God. They think he'll be glad to push them down into hell---they do not realize that though he hates sins, he still loves the sinner.

Could a loving mother, whose little son dirties and soils the new suit and shoes she puts on him, forget her love in her displeasure and send him off to an orphanage? How much more impossible is it to imagine the infinitely loving God wishing or wanting the eternal loss of one whom he has made his adopted son?

No, this cannot and will not happen. Troubles and trials during our journey through life are not a sign that God has forgotten or deserted us. Rather are they a proof of his love. The surgeon who uses his scalpel or his knife when our survival needs it is not our enemy but a loving benefactor. So, too, it is with God. If and when he allows earthly troubles and trials, it is in order to help us earn our eternal reward. As St. Paul tells us, the trials of life, instead of separating us from our loving Father, are golden bonds that should unite us more closely with him---"With God on our side who can be against us" (Rom. 8: 31).

GOSPEL: Matthew 14:13-21. When Jesus heard of the death of John, he withdrew in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

EXPLANATION:
This reading is St. Matthew's account of the miracle of the multiplication of bread to feed a multitude---a miracle related by the three other Evangelists also. In all four gospels this miracle is seen as a foreshadowing of the eucharistic meal which Christ was to provide miraculously for the multitude of his followers. In St. John this is clearly indicated, for it was the occasion of Christ's discourse on the Eucharist (Jn. 6: 27-40). In the other gospels certain phrases, like "blessed, broke, gave to his disciples," occur which would remind the readers already familiar with the eucharistic liturgy, of the institution of the Eucharist.

This miracle also brought out the messiahship of Christ, for the miraculous feeding of the hungry was to be one of the gifts of the messianic age. Moses fed the Israelites miraculously in the desert (Ex. 16:13-14); the prophet Elisha fed a hundred men miraculously (2 Kgs. 4:42-44); the prophets frequently describe the messianic era as one of peace and plenty for everyone. In today's first lesson the second-Isaiah promises that God has prepared a banquet for all his Chosen People; all they have to do is to come to it.
a lonely . . . apart: This was some place away from the towns and villages, most likely on the eastern shore of Lake Genesareth, as St. John explicitly states (6:1).
healed . . . sick: He had come to confer spiritual and eternal benefits on men, but in his mercy he also gave them bodily and temporal benefits.
it was evening: Note that the institution of the Eucharist took place in the evening. The people had remained, attracted by his healing miracles and his preaching, longer than they intended, for they had come without any provisions for a meal.
we . . . loaves: Jesus told the Apostles not to send them away but to give them food. This was impossible, they said, they had barely enough for a meager meal for themselves. This brings out clearly the miraculous nature of Christ's act.
looked . . . gave: These are the same actions as at the eucharistic meal during the Last Supper.
five thousand men: A very round number, but greatly exaggerated. Five thousand would have been one third of the population of Galilee at the time. Nevertheless, the number fed was such that nothing but a miracle would explain the fact that all had their fill. And the twelve baskets of remnants were far more than the original five loaves.

APPLICATION: This miracle was an act of kindness and loving thoughtfulness on the part of Christ. He saw the people's need---it was late for them to return to their homes and they had had nothing to eat all day---and he worked a miracle to provide for this need. The miracle also helped to convince the people of Galilee---the news spread around quickly---that he was the expected Messiah, but especially it prepared the way for the announcement of the greatest miracle of all---the miracle of the Eucharist.

As St. John tells us in his version of the story, Jesus referred to this miracle next day in order to introduce his promise of the heavenly bread which he would give them and which was to be his own body and blood, under the form of bread and wine. The bread he miraculously multiplied that day to supply the bodily needs of the Galilean multitude was but a foreshadowing of that heavenly food which he was about to give as spiritual nourishment to the millions who would become his followers down through the centuries until the end of time.

The Galileans were grateful to him for providing so kindly and so thoughtfully for their needs. How much more grateful should we not be for the miracle by means of which he has left us himself to be our daily spiritual food? We are grateful, of course, to our loving Lord who not only handed up his body to his enemies to be crucified for us, but through his divine power, arranged that his glorified body, triumphant over death, should remain with us, his Church, forever under the eucharistic species.

Though invisible to mortal eyes, he is as truly present on our altars as he was that day in Galilee, when he miraculously fed the multitude. He is present under the form of bread and wine---so that we can partake of him as spiritual nourishment during our earthly life. Could love go any further? He himself said: "A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15: 13). Yes, once a man has given his life he has given his all; there is nothing more he can give. But Christ was more than man. He was God as well, and, therefore, he was able not only to lay down his human life for us, but was able and willing to remain with us after death under the eucharistic species: to be our strength and nourishment until we join him in the promised land of heaven.

When we compare our own unworthiness with this, almost incredible, love and thoughtfulness of Christ for us, all we can do is simply to say: "Lord, you know I am not worthy to receive you, but you say you want to come into my poor and untidy home, please make me less unworthy, forgive all my past sins and offences, and give me the grace and strength to be better in the future."

Courtesy of: http://www.catholicmatters.com/ - Catholic Matters

Meditation: Jesus looked up to heaven and blessed the loaves and fishes

What can truly satisfy our deepest hunger and longing? Wherever Jesus went multitudes of people gathered to meet him - people from every part of society - rich and poor, professionals and laborers, even social outcasts and pagans. What drew them to Jesus? Were they simply curious or looking for a healing? Many were drawn to Jesus because they were hungry for God. Jesus' message of God's kingdom and the signs and wonders he performed stirred fresh hope and expectation that God was acting in a new and powerful way to set people free from sin and oppression and to bring them the blessings of his kingdom.

God never rests in caring for our needs
Jesus never disappointed those who earnestly sought him out. We see a marvelous example of this when Jesus and his twelve disciples got into the boat to seek out a lonely place for some rest along the lake of Galilee, only to discover a crowd of a few thousand people had already gathered in anticipation of their arrival! Did Jesus' disciples resent this intrusion on their plan to rest awhile? Jesus certainly didn't - he welcomed them with open-arms. His compassion showed the depths of God's love and care for his people. Jesus spoke the word of God to strengthen them in faith and he healed many who were sick.

God multiplies the little we have to bring great blessing to others
As evening approached the disciples wanted Jesus to send the people away. Jesus, instead, commanded his disciples to feed the whole crowd. Why did Jesus expect his disciples to do what seemed impossible - to feed such a large and hungry crowd when there was no adequate provision in sight? Jesus very likely wanted to test their faith and to give them a sign of God's divine intervention and favor for his people. Jesus took the little they had - five loaves and two fish - and giving thanks to his heavenly Father, distributed to all until were satisfied of their hunger. Twelves baskets full of fish and loaves that were leftover show the overflowing generosity of God's gifts to us - gifts that bring blessing, healing, strength, and refreshment.

Bread from heaven to sustain us on our journey
Jesus' feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospel accounts (Luke 9:10-17, Mark 6:34-44, John 6:51-58, Matthew 14:13-21). What is the significance of this miracle? The miraculous feeding of such a great multitude recalled the miraculous provision of manna in the wilderness under Moses' leadership and intercession for his people (Exodus 16). The daily provision of food for the people of Israel during their forty years of journeying in the barren wilderness foreshadowed the true heavenly bread which Jesus would pass on to his disciples at his last supper meal on the eve of his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus makes a claim which only God can make: He is the true bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience (John 6:32-35). The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, when Jesus said the blessing, broke and distributed the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, is a sign that prefigures the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist, or Lord's Supper which sustains us on our journey to the kingdom of heaven.

God multiplies the little we have so we can bring his blessing to others
The feeding of the five thousand shows the remarkable generosity of God and his great kindness towards us. When God gives, he gives abundantly. He gives more than we need for ourselves that we may have something to share with others, especially those who lack what they need. God takes the little we have and multiplies it for the good of others. Do you trust in God's provision for you and do you share freely with others, especially those who lack?

"Lord Jesus Christ, you satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts and you feed us with the finest of wheat (Psalm 81:16). Fill me with gratitude for your blessings and give me a generous heart that I may freely share with others what you have given to me."

www.dailyscripture.net

In the Presence of the Father

August 3, 2014. Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 14: 13-21 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe you want me to have faith in you, faith that hearkens to your words without any second guessing. I hope in your words, not relying solely on my own strength or reasoning. I love you. You continue to astonish me by showing me that your ways are not my ways. Petition: Lord Jesus, let me know you more intimately. 1. Heart-to-Heart with His Father: There is no greater joy than spending some quality time, one-on-one, with the person we love the most. We may have heard our dad say, “Let your mother and I spend some time together”, or “We are going on our second honeymoon.” It is also like the dad who treats his kids to a special dinner to celebrate something special – just father and son; father and daughter. Special things happen when we open our hearts to the one we love. Christ did this a lot. Always united to his Father, he treasured the moments of solitude he could spend speaking with him of the things they loved. 2. A Magnanimous Heart: After his love for the Father, Christ’s greatest love is us. He cannot stand to see us in need. Like any father, friend or brother, his heart melts when he sees us suffering. Christ always came back from the heart-to-heart times with his Father with a keen awareness of the needs of others and of ways to remedy any problem. It was so natural, almost effortless. Our own growth in virtue is directly related to how much time we spend in real, personal and passionate prayer with our Lord. From these heart-to-hearts, virtue grows and overtakes us in a very natural way, because our Lord’s love is contagious. 3. Nothing Is Impossible for God: God can perform miracles whenever he wants and however he wants. Nothing can hold him back. Still we often ask ourselves, “Why doesn’t Christ perform the miracle that I need in my life – my health problem, my work, my spouse, my children?” Could it be that we’re seeking something less than what He wishes to give us? God has a plan for each of our lives. It includes moments of great joys and of crosses. At times we may not understand God’s plan, but that’s when we need to pray all the more and entrust ourselves to him even more than before. It is only through humble, constant, urgent prayer that we’ll receive the answers to our heart-wrenching questions and the grace we need to carry the cross courageously and lovingly, following in the footsteps of the one who shows us the way by carrying our cross first. Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to know you better as the one who loves me more than anyone else in the world. There’s so much noise and so many things and activities that compete for the time I would like to spend with you. Help me to make you the true priority in my life. I know this will bring order and peace to my life. Resolution: I will spend five minutes before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament today.

www.regnumchristi.org

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, AUGUST 3, MATTHEW 14:13-21
(Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalms 145; Romans 8:35, 37-39)

READING: The long awaited Messiah was expected to be a prophet like Moses (Dt 18:15-18). It was hoped that he would repeat the wonders of the Exodus when Moses fed the people with "manna" in the desert (Ex 16:15). Likewise, the prophet Elisha miraculously fed a hundred people (2 Kgs 4:43-44). All four evangelists tell the story of Jesus and the multiplication of the loaves in the desert, which emphasized its importance as foreshadowing the Eucharist. The words "take, bless, break, and give" are still used in the liturgy today. Jesus gave the bread to the disciples and the disciples gave it to the crowd. Jesus worked through the hands of his followers that day, and he still does. It is true that the disciples were incapable of feeding so many on their own, but it is also true that the Lord needs people so he can act. Jesus says: "Come to me; bring me whatever you have, no matter how small, and I will use it greatly in my service." In the hands of Jesus, the little we have is always much. Jesus provided an over-abundance of bread for his hungry people. There were twelve baskets of fragments remaining, which may point beyond the Last Supper to the banquet of the Messiah at the final coming of the kingdom..
REFLECTING: What small steps can I take to help alleviate the problem of world hunger?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, thank you for being food for my life's journey.

www.togetherwithgodsword.com

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Social Justice

Social justice, understood theologically, helps a person to become a saint! And between now and the time the person gets to heaven, it actually brings about more balance between the body of Christ’s hurting and non-hurting members.

— from Epic Food Fight

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

A key theme of today’s readings is the ability and desire of God to gift us abundantly with what we need for life.
In a society where scarcity of food was a real issue, the image of a rich banquet would have captured the listeners’ attention more than it would a First World audience that takes the availability of food for granted. The allusion to satisfying physical hunger points to a deeper spiritual hunger that God wishes to satisfy. The fish and bread Jesus multiplies are staples of the local diet. Staple foods are the basic building blocks of a well-rounded diet. In the same way, a covenant or relationship with God is the spiritual building block of all other relationships. Just as the availability of staples ensures survival in times of hardship, the spiritual staple of daily prayer provides us with the nourishment required for each day.

www.pray.com.au

August 3
St. Peter Julian Eymard
(1811-1868)

Born in La Mure d'Isère in southeastern France, Peter Julian's faith journey drew him from being a priest in the Diocese of Grenoble (1834) to joining the Marists (1839) to founding the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (1856).

In addition to those changes, Peter Julian coped with poverty, his father's initial opposition to Peter's vocation, serious illness, a Jansenistic overemphasis on sin and the difficulties of getting diocesan and later papal approval for his new religious community.

His years as a Marist, including service as a provincial leader, saw the deepening of his eucharistic devotion, especially through his preaching of Forty Hours in many parishes.

Inspired at first by the idea of reparation for indifference to the Eucharist, Peter Julian was eventually attracted to a more positive spirituality of Christ-centered love. Members of the men's community, which Peter founded, alternated between an active apostolic life and contemplating Jesus in the Eucharist. He and Marguerite Guillot founded the women's Congregation of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament.

Peter Julian Eymard was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1962, one day after Vatican II's first session ended.

Comment:

In every century, sin has been painfully real in the life of the Church. It is easy to give in to despair, to speak so strongly of human failings that people may forget the immense and self-sacrificing love of Jesus, as his death on the cross and his gift of the Eucharist make evident. Peter Julian knew that the Eucharist was key to helping Catholics live out their Baptism and preach by word and example the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Quote:

“The Eucharist is the life of the people. The Eucharist gives them a center of life. All can come together without the barriers of race or language in order to celebrate the feast days of the Church. It gives them a law of life, that of charity, of which it is the source; thus it forges between them a common bond, a Christian kinship” (Peter Julian Eymard)

www.americancatholic.org

LECTIO DIVINA: 18TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (A)

Lectio: 

 Sunday, August 3, 2014  

The multiplication of the loaves
Matthew 14:13-21

1. LECTIO

Opening prayer:

Come Holy Spirit
Come Fire of love
Come Father of the poor
Come Unction of my soul.

b) Reading:

13 When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the crowds heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. 14 So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick. 15 When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, 'This is a lonely place, and time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.' 16 Jesus replied, 'There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.' 17 But they answered, 'All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.' 18 So he said, 'Bring them here to me.' 19 He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples, who gave them to the crowds. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps left over, twelve baskets full. 21 Now about five thousand men had eaten, to say nothing of women and children.

c) A moment of silence:

so that the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our lives.

2. MEDITATIO

a) A key to the reading:

All the Evangelists tell the story of the multiplication of the loaves. While Luke and John only tell us of one multiplication of loaves (Lk 9: 10-17; Jn 6: 1-13), Mark and Matthew refer to two occasions of multiplication (Mk 6: 30-44; 8: 1-10; Mt 14: 13-21; 15: 32-39). It seems that both stories in Matthew and Mark came from the one source when loaves were multiplied, but which was passed on in two versions according to different traditions. Besides, the story in Mt 14: 13-21 and Mk 6: 30-44 seem to be the oldest versions. Here we focus on the subject of ourlectio divina, that is, the text of Mt 14 13-21.

This text presents Jesus at the time when he received the news of the Baptist’s beheading by Herod (Mt 14: 12). He goes apart «in a lonely place» (Mt 14, 13). The Gospels often show us Jesus as someone who goes apart. Generally, but not always, this going apart presents a Jesus who is immersed in prayer. Here are some examples: «After sending the people away, he went up a hill by himself to pray. When evening came, Jesus was there alone» (Mt 14: 23); «Very early in the morning, long before daylight, Jesus got up and left the house. He went out of town to a lonely place, where he prays” (Mk 1: 35); «He would go away to lonely places, where he prayed» (Lk 5: 16); «led by the Spirit» after his baptism, Jesus goes away into the desert to be tempted by the devil and he overcomes the devil’s seductions by the power of the Word of God (Mt 4: 1-11; Mk 1: 12-13; Lk 4: 1-13). At other times, Jesus calls with him his disciples: «Let us go off by ourselves to someplace where we will be alone and you can rest a while» (Mk 6: 30-44). In our passage, Jesus prays before multiplying the loaves. The Gospels show that Jesus liked to pray before important events throughout his ministry such at his baptism, his transfiguration and his passion.

This time the crowd follows him in the desert (Mt 14: 13) and Jesus feels compassion for them and cures their sick (Mt 14: 14). We often see compassion in Jesus towards those who follow him (Mt 15: 32). The master is moved because they «were like sheep without a shepherd» (Mk 6: 34). Indeed, Jesus is the good shepherd who nourishes his people like the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4: 1-7, 42-44) and like Moses in the desert (Ex 16; Nm 11). In John’s Gospel, Jesus, in his discourse on the bread of life (Jn 6), explains the meaning of the sign of the multiplication of the loaves. This miracle is a preparation for the bread that will be given in the Eucharist. In all the Gospels, Jesus’ actions before he multiplies the loaves, recall the rite of breaking the bread, the Eucharist. The actions are: a) taking the bread, b) lifting «his eyes up to heaven», c) pronouncing “the blessing», d) breaking the bread, e) giving it to the disciples (Mt 14: 19). These actions are found in the stories of the multiplication of the loaves and, word for word, in the story of the last supper (Mt 26: 26).

All eat of the bread and are satisfied. Twelve baskets full of leftovers are taken up. Jesus is the one who satisfies the chosen people of God: Israel, made up of twelve tribes. But he also satisfies the pagans in the second multiplication (Mt 15: 32-39), symbolised now by seven baskets, the number of the nations of Canaan (Acts 13: 19) and also the number of the Hellenist deacons (Acts 6: 5; 21:8) who were given the task of providing for the daily distribution at table. The community gathered around Jesus, a foretaste of the Kingdom of God, welcomed Jews and Gentiles, all called to accept the invitation to share at the table of the Lord. Jesus shows this also by his action of sitting at table with publicans and sinners and, through his teachings in the parables of the banquet where «many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven» ( Mt 8: 11; see also Mt 22: 34; Lk 14: 16-24).

b) Some questions to guide our meditation and practice:

- What touched you most in this passage?
- Which of Jesus’ attitudes touched you most in this text?
- Have you ever thought of Jesus’ emotions? This text focuses on compassion. Can you find other emotions in the Gospels?
- What do you think God wishes to tell you through this story of the multiplication of the loaves?
- Jesus provides food in abundance. Do you trust in the providence of the Lord? What does it mean for you to trust in providence?
- Have you ever thought of the Eucharist as sitting down at table with Jesus? Who are those invited to this table?

3. ORATIO

a) Psalm 78, 24-25:

He rained down manna to feed them,
he gave them the wheat of heaven;
mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty,
he sent them as much food as they could want.

b) Closing prayer:

O God, who in the compassion of your Son towards us, show us your fatherly goodness, grant that the bread multiplied by your providence may be broken in love, and the communion in the bread come down from heaven open us to dialogue with and service of our brothers and sisters. Through Christ our Lord.

4. CONTEMPLATIO

There is one other point which I would like to emphasize, since it significantly affects the authenticity of our communal sharing in the Eucharist. It is the impulse which the Eucharist gives to the community for a practical commitment to building a more just and fraternal society. In the Eucharist our God has shown love in the extreme, overturning all those criteria of power which too often govern human relations and radically affirming the criterion of service: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mc 9:35). [...] Can we not make this Year of the Eucharist an occasion for diocesan and parish communities to commit themselves in a particular way to responding with fraternal solicitude to one of the many forms of poverty present in our world? I think for example of the tragedy of hunger which plagues hundreds of millions of human beings, the diseases which afflict developing countries, the loneliness of the elderly, the hardships faced by the unemployed, the struggles of immigrants. These are evils which are present - albeit to a different degree - even in areas of immense wealth. We cannot delude ourselves: by our mutual love and, in particular, by our concern for those in need we will be recognized as true followers of Christ (cf. Jn13:35; Mt 25:31-46). This will be the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations is judged.

John Paul II, Mane Nobiscum Domine, 28.

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