EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, AUGUST 2, 2026

MASS READINGS

Gospel Matthew 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.

REFLECTION

On August 15, 1975, Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận, then Bishop, was arrested by the Vietnamese communist regime. He served 13 years as a political prisoner in reeducation camps, 9 of those years were in solitary confinement. In 1988 he was sent to Hanoi under house arrest. And in 1991 he was allowed to visit Rome, but not return to Vietnam. He lived the rest of his life in Europe serving the Church in different positions. He was created a Cardinal. And in September 16, 2002 he went to his eternal reward after a battle with cancer at the age of 74. The cause for his beatification was opened in 2007.

He wrote 3 books, and the spiritual exercises for Pope Saint John Paul II under the title "Testimony of Hope". He was also named by Pope Benedict XVI's excellent encyclical "Spe Salvi". On his book "Five Loaves Two Fish" he takes what each one of these elements represent to him and how they can help sustain our lives:

The Five Loaves

• The First Loaf: Living the Present Moment – Focus on loving God in the immediate present rather than worrying about the past or future.

  
  

• The Second Loaf: Discerning Between God and God's Works – Choose God Himself over the active, external religious work we do for Him. 

  
  

• The Third Loaf: Prayer (A Fixed Point of Reference) – Keep a consistent prayer life to stay anchored, even during intense isolation. 

  
  

• The Fourth Loaf: The Eucharist (My Only Strength) – Find your core power in Holy Communion, which the author secretly celebrated in prison using drops of wine. 

  
  

• The Fifth Loaf: Love and Unity (The Testimony of Jesus) – Share Christ's love unconditionally, which allowed the author to win over his prison guards.

  
  

The Two Fish

• The First Fish: My First Love (The Immaculate Virgin Mary) – Rely deeply on the spiritual motherhood and protection of Mary.

  
  

• The Second Fish: I Have Chosen Jesus – Make a definitive, lifelong choice to follow Christ and completely trust His plan.

The book goes in detail on how he applied these during his life. Specially during his solitary imprisonment. He also had some principles he called the Ten Rules of Life. I encourage you to read any of his books, read his biography, and even watch the documentary about his life. The teachings are practical, and you will fall in love with this holy priest.

Let us pray for our heroic priests that suffer persecution and even jail so they can continue carrying on their vocation of shepherds of men, and persevere on the road to holiness.

God bless y'all!