Reading 1
Is 55:1-3
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!
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.
Come to me heedfully,
listen, that you may have life.
I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,
the benefits assured to David.
Ps 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18
Responsorial PsalmR. (cf. 16)
The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
Reading II
Rom 8:35, 37-39
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?
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gospel
Mt 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.
Meditation: Matthew 14:13-21
“They all ate and were satisfied” (Matthew 14:20)
We live under a tremendous economy—God’s economy, that is. Even as the world’s market systems soar and plummet, God’s economy remains stable because it is founded on his word. His economy includes salvation for all who believe, the indwelling Holy Spirit, forgiveness of all our sins, and the hope of heaven, where all pain, suffering, and sadness are wiped away. This is a rich economy indeed!
Today’s Gospel reading demonstrates just how rich our heavenly Father is, and how eager he is to share his riches with all of us. The people Jesus fed with five loaves and two fishes were ordinary folks. They weren’t kings and queens. They weren’t celebrities or sports heroes. They probably weren’t even all that well educated. But it didn’t matter. God was willing to share his choicest blessings with them, simply because they had spent time with Jesus, trying their best to grasp his message of salvation. They did nothing to earn this miracle, and many of them probably left that day thinking about the food they had eaten more than pondering Jesus’ words. But it didn’t matter. God’s people were in need, and he cared for them.
It is humbling to know that we are children of such a generous God. And it is amazing that the covenant this generous God has made with us is founded on two words: “I will” (Hebrews 8:10,12). God will teach and lead. God will forgive. God will provide what we lack. As he did for the hungry crowd in today’s Gospel, he will provide for our needs (Matthew 14:20-21).
We have so many great promises from our God. Are you enjoying them? Or are you still looking forward, waiting, and hoping, but not fully receiving? Today, tell the Lord that you want to live in the economy he has afforded you!
“Father, thank you that I can know you and enjoy your presence today. Help me to trust your promise, ‘I will,’ in every circumstance that I face today.”
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