Tag: feeding of the five thousand

“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” | Wednesday after Epiphany

From the responsorial psalm: “For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 6:45-52)

But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.

Taking place immediately after the Feeding of the Five Thousand, the account of Jesus walking on water emphasizes that the apostles did not yet understand the divinity of Jesus. Mark ends the passage with this declaration about his closest followers: “They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.” Although they had witnessed a miracle during the day, their hearts remained in the dark, haunted by looming fears. At this moment, Jesus appears to them, in the fourth watch of the night, between darkest night and first light. Calming the wind and the hearts of the apostles, Jesus encourages them and replaces fear with hope and unbelief with belief.

God, as a new day begins, help me take on its challenges and anxieties with courage and trust in Jesus. Mark says that as the wind was against the apostles, Jesus came walking toward them and got into the boat with them. No great leap of imagination is needed to see that Jesus is in the boat today in the Church and in the sacraments. And Jesus is present in the people I will meet today. “Yet, if we love one another,” John says, “God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.” Lord, let me take heart in your presence today and trust in your mercy; take pity on me and rescue me. Jesus, I trust in you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Give them some food yourselves.” | Tuesday after Epiphany

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; this day I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.'” I will give you all the nations for an inheritance.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 6:34-44)

Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied.

Late in the day, Jesus sees the vast crowd following him like sheep without a shepherd. Moved with pity for them, he begins teaching them when the disciples approach him and ask Jesus to dismiss the crowd so they can go to nearby villages to find something to eat. He tells them, “Give them some food yourselves.” When the disciples tell him that it would be impossible to buy the amount of food needed, Jesus asks how many loaves there are. Taking the five loaves they give him, Jesus prays, says a blessing, and breaks the loaves and fishes. At this, Mark simply says, “They all ate and were satisfied.” After they ate, the disciples picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments from the crowd of five thousand. Why does Jesus tell the disciples to give the crowd some food themselves? It seems in that question, he is teaching the disciples to rely not on themselves but on the word of God, as we hear in the Gospel according to John, when he says, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”

God, help me understand the motivation of Jesus when he sees the crowd and feels great compassion for them. Why is it that the way Jesus first feeds the crowd is by teaching them many things? The disciples see the practical need; it is getting dark and the people need to go find food. Jesus sees the spiritual need that goes beyond physical hunger. Satisfying the hunger of the crowd takes place as the Son of God blesses the food and looks to you in prayer. In his word, just as in his crucifixion, what is broken is not divided and diminished but multiplied and increased in superabundance. Give me the grace, Lord, to trust in the food that you give for the life of the world in Jesus Christ your Son. Give us this day our daily bread.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.