A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mt 15:29-37
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 daysand 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 placeto 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 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.”
During Advent our hearts should be burning more for holiness and healing. Our Church guides us to this holy encounter with Jesus during a very busy, loud and very secular season.
Sitting with my grandkids watching cartoons, there was a chorus of, “I want that“ whenever a commercial introduced them to a new toy. They have so much and yet they wanted more. They were asking for everything they saw. They knew no limit.
Today’s readings take us to a Father who has abundance to give—abundance in fulfilling all our needs: spiritual, emotional, social and physical. Jesus met the people where they were and in His compassion He met their needs. The people were needy; the apostles saw the impossible task before them. The little that was there was enough for Jesus to give thanks and to lavish His generosity on the many that were there.
Today reflect on what brings us joy and happiness. With Jesus there is no need to see further or to look any harder. Jesus is our joy, peace and happiness. In the whirlwind of “the season” if you find yourself stressed and surrounded by chaos, and nothing seems to work, STOP, and find your focus, your God and say the “Je-Sus “prayer. I don’t know about you, but I want that peace and joy that Isaiah prophesied and that Jesus can deliver.
