At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way." The disciples said to him, "Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have? ""Seven," they replied, "and a few fish." He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.
REFLECTION
My heart is moved with pity....they glorified the God of Israel
We tend to hide our moral ugliness. Who would want to associate with us if they knew how spiritually broken, dry and perhaps dead we are?
Will our ill spoken words, errant ways and bad decisions haunt us? If we don't forgive ourselves why, we think, would God? Or on the other hand, if our attitude is "I guess that is the way I am", do we expect the God of Mercy to agree with us?
In today's Gospel, the crowd brought to Jesus their hopes and dreams, their sick, placing all at His feet. This is such a special time of year, a time of special prayer and penance mingled with joyful expectation. A time, as we daily draw closer to the birth of Jesus, His Second Coming and Judgment Day, for sanctification through turning to the Lord, amending our lives, acts of penance and charity.
Whether small details of our lives or humongous problems, everything and everyone matters to God. Too many demands? Not enough money? Not enough time? Can't stop bad habits? Take your problems to God and He will do amazing works as He draws you closer to Him.
Take the time to become aware of God's presence and place all our cares and hopes in His hands.
God Bless You
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Unanimous
Dec 04
What exactly does it mean by "forgiving yourself?"
What exactly does it mean by "forgiving yourself?"