Reading 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!
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.
Reading 2
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
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.
Reflection
In today’s Mass readings, we are given a portrait of the powerful and generous love of God in Christ Jesus. No matter how little we think we have to offer, and no matter what obstacles we face, Jesus loves us abundantly, and we can trust in Him to transform both our offerings and our troubles.
The Gospel tells of Our Lord turning five loaves and two fish into enough food for 5,000 men, plus women and children, with twelve baskets of leftovers. These numbers are not meaningless details, but rather evidence of God’s above-and-beyond providence. Although the disciples urge Him to send the crowds away to feed themselves, Jesus is eager to show His care for the people. Jesus initially “withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself,” but He still desired to keep the crowds nourished and close. This story shows that Jesus can do so much with so little, and that He does so for our sakes.
Not only does Jesus reveal Himself as one who can transform meager offerings, but He also shows that His generosity is utterly gratuitous. While someone indeed offered up five loaves and two fish, most of those 5,000 people contributed nothing to the meal. Yet, Jesus bestowed more than enough food to everyone. As the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah: “Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!” Christ does not demand payment or expect us to earn His love. Nothing can disqualify us from being loved by Him.
The second reading for today further emphasizes that nothing can separate us from God’s love. The same power that can turn scraps into multitudes cannot be curtailed by “anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword… neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature…” St. Paul leaves no room for uncertainty. We are ceaseless recipients of the “love of God in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.”
Today, we give thanks for this love that cannot be earned or extinguished. No matter what limitations or obstacles we perceive, let us ask our Lord for the grace to imitate His love to the extent we are able.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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