Reading I
1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13
The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel,
came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant
from the City of David, which is Zion.
All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomon
during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month).
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
the priests took up the ark;
they carried the ark of the LORD
and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
that were in the tent.
(The priests and Levites carried them.)
King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
which Moses had put there at Horeb,
when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel
at their departure from the land of Egypt.
When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
since the LORD’s glory had filled the temple of the LORD.
Then Solomon said, “The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud;
I have truly built you a princely house,
a dwelling where you may abide forever.”
Gospel
Mk 6:53-56
After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,
Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.
Meditation: Mark 6:53-56
Jesus is waiting for you!
The people of Gennesaret recognized him and hurried to him, bringing anyone they could find, so that they could encounter Jesus. He was their teacher, wonder-worker, healer. And he’s here for you today! Have you prayed today? Drop what you’re doing and go to Jesus now, so that he can speak to you, teach you, heal you!
Don’t worry about whether you are worthy to come to Jesus. He’s the one who forgives all your sins and opens the gates of heaven! He has broken down the wall that divides sinful humanity from the all-holy God. He has restored you and made you a child of God. He wants you to come to him!
Has it been a while since you’ve prayed? Don’t worry. Jesus still welcomes you! Looking back on your failures shouldn’t keep you from Jesus. Today can be the first day of your renewed prayer life, fueled by the touch of the Lord of the heavens. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit ignite his life in you and burn away every obstacle and objection.
Do you have a lot to do today? Put it aside for a while. You have the pearl of great price within your grasp! All your obligations will still be there afterward. And think of how much more peaceful and better equipped you will be to handle them once you have spent time with the Lord!
Jesus is near, offering himself to you in the Eucharist. If you can, get to Mass. Where else can you receive the very life of Jesus in so physical and intimate a way? He will bring restoration and healing to your soul, strengthen you for the day ahead, and deepen his life in you.
What could be better than running to Jesus, just as you are at this moment? He is available to you whether or not you can get to a church. His presence is just as powerful as it was two thousand years ago. The one who healed, multiplied the loaves, and walked on the water is waiting for you. The one who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven is holding out his arms. Run to him!
“Lord, I come to you! I want to be inspired by the same excitement that electrified your first followers! I love you, Jesus!”
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