Today's Mass Readings - Sunday, August 3, 2014 with Reflection

1^ST READING - Isaiah 55:1-3

1 Thus says the Lord: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! 2 Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. 3 Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.

P S A L M - Psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18

R: The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. (R) 15 The eyes of all look hopefully to you, and you give them their food in due season; 16 you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (R) 17 The Lord is just in all his ways and holy in all his works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. (R)

2ND READING - Romans 8:35, 37-39

35 Brothers and sisters: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? 37 No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Matthew 14:13-21

13 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. 14 When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. 15 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.” 16 Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” 17 But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” 18 Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” 19 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. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over — twelve wicker baskets full. 21 Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

SABBATH

FEEDING THE MULTITUDES Is Jesus simply showing off when He performs the miracle of feeding the multitudes? I think not, as that would be sinful and, as we all know, Jesus did not sin. The miracle is all about God’s providence — He will and does provide for His people. The critical thing for me in the miracle is the fact that there is a contribution from those who are ultimately fed.          It is important because it signifies that we do what we can to reach our goal. It acknowledges that we have given our own resources and it is not just God who is doing the giving. This is important as it demonstrates that we cannot just stand back and wait for God to do everything as regards our faith. We have to get involved with our God-given talents and resources. And the message of the miracle is simply that God will provide for whatever is lacking, even if it happens to be the vast majority of what is needed.        What matters is that we have given our all, and I mean all, in faith, as this will open the heavens for God’s grace to come into our situation. If we hold back anything, what right do we have to ask God to provide what is lacking, let alone demand that He do so, whether we believe He can or not?          As we reflect upon this miracle today, let us see it as a challenge to give our all for the work of the Kingdom. Let us hold nothing back from the service of the Gospel even when it may seem that our contribution is insignificant. Let us trust that whatever we have has been given by God to us for the purpose of sharing it with others. In this way, I believe that we will get the best out of both God and ourselves for the work of His Kingdom.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL REFLECTION QUESTION: What is your contribution to the advancement of God’s Kingdom in the here and now? Jesus, thank You for Your daily provisions — today and for always. Thank You because I have never really lacked what I need in serving You. St. Peter Julian Eymard, pray for us. Do you want to receive this in your email. To get Bo Sanchez to send it to you personally, register and log-on to http://kerygmafamily.com.