DAILY- HOMILY

05 January 2016

Christmas Weekday /

St. John Neumann, Bishop

White.         1 Jn 4: 7 - 10.       Mk 6: 34 – 44.

Born in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), St. John Neumann (1811 – 1860), was the first Redemptorist to make profession in the USA. Ordained Bishop of Philadelphia in 1852, he worked for the establishment of parochial schools and of parishes for immigrants.

Gospel Reading:      Mk 6: 34 - 44

As Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd.  And he began a long teaching session with them.

It was now getting late, so his disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place and it is now late.  You should send the people away, and let them go to the farms and villages around here, to buy themselves something to eat."

Jesus replied, "You yourselves give them something to eat." They answered, "If we are to feed them, we need two hundred silver coins to go and buy enough bread."  But Jesus said, "You have some loaves; how many? Go and see."  The disciples found out and said, "There are five loaves and two fish."

Then he told them to have the people sit down together in groups on the green grass. . . . And Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish and, raising his eyes to heaven, he pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves, and handed them to his disciples to distribute to the people.  He also divided the two fish among them.

They all ate and everyone had enough.  The disciples gathered up what was left and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of bread and fish.  Five thousand men had eaten there.

Reflection

The theme of both the first reading and the Gospel reading is love. The First Letter of John encourages us to love one another as God loves us, just as Jesus shows us in the Gospel.

In the Gospel, Jesus shows love and compassion for the crowd that is desperate for a leader who will care for them.  Perhaps the people viewed both their political and spiritual leaders as unconcerned with their condition: "they were like sheep without a shepherd".  So Jesus showed how he cared for them by feeding them spiritually and physically. 

He nourished them spiritually when he "began a long teaching session with them". He nourished them physically with bread and fish.  The disciples' solution to the physical hunger of the crowd was for Jesus to dismiss them.  Instead, Jesus told his disciples "You yourselves give them something to eat." 

After the resurrection, Jesus himself nourishes us through his Word and the Eucharist.

Have there been opportunities when we could have nourished people spiritually?  When we are faced with the hungry poor, do we think that it is someone else's problem and not ours?  What can we do within our means to help with the physical hunger around us?  Do I allow Jesus to nourish me through the Eucharist?

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     Nenoca Oquilda

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     Emiliano Villegas (Jan 5, 1923 – Jul 31, 1995)

OTHER INTENTIONS:

For the healing of Telma Ferrari who has a brain tumor.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the

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