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Our Sunday Reflection - July 28, 2024
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They shall eat and there shall be some left over.
2 Kings 4:42-44
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Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
From five barley loaves and two fish, Jesus was able to provide a wonderful feast for thousands of people. All of them had plenty to eat and what was left over filled twelve wicker baskets. The people realized they had just witnessed a miracle, a sign to bring them to faith. We gather today for the Eucharistic feast, where we are invited to have our fill of the bread of eternal life. May the miracle we witness today bring us to a deeper belief in the Lord and his saving gift to us.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
The first reading today foreshadows what Jesus will so memorably do centuries later. Elisha insists that twenty small barley loaves, given as an offering to God, would feed a hundred people with some left over. Jesus tells his disciples the same thing when all they could offer to the thousands of pilgrims who gather to see him are five barley loaves and two fish. God nourishes and sustains us always, no matter how impossible it seems.Reflections
- In both the first reading and the Gospel, the person who originally provides the food remains unnamed. The author of the second book of Kings tells us where the man with the barley loaves came from (significantly, a region named for a pagan god, Baal), but not his name. We learn even less about the boy in the crowd who had five loaves and two fish. But it is their anonymous offerings that allow God to perform the miracle of feeding multitudes from a small amount of food. Today, we look not for personal recognition of our contributions, but that God may use the little we are able to offer to perform great things.
- Nearly every Sunday this year the Gospel is from Mark, but today and during the month of August we hear from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, where Jesus reveals himself to be the Bread of Life. The theme is introduced today in the form of five simple barley loaves, which Jesus shares to feed a multitude. We know that eventually he will reveal that the bread he shares with his disciples at the Passover meal is truly his body, which becomes living bread, even as it is sacrificed on the cross. Now and at every Eucharist it is shared to feed the multitude of those who believe. The bread we offer each day becomes the Bread of Life, a miracle in every celebration of the Eucharist.
- Recall that last week Mark told us that Jesus brought his disciples across the Sea of Galilee to give them a chance to rest and reflect in a deserted place, but the crowds got there first and “his heart was moved with pity,” and he began to teach them (Mark 6:34). Today we hear that Jesus’ heart was moved not only by their hunger for God’s word, but also by their hunger for food itself. Out of compassion for these “sheep without a shepherd,” the Good Shepherd leads them and feeds them (6:34).
Question of the Week
How can I put aside a half hour a week to reflect on how I am living as a disciple and pray for God’s assistance? Can I face the Lord honestly with my shortcomings and failures?
-from Pastoral Patterns
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readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, July 28, 2024
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, July 28, 2024
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Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
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