DAILY- HOMILY

July 29, 2018 - 17th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Cycle B. Green.

2 Kgs 4: 42- 44 / Eph 4: 1 - 6 / Jn 6: 1 - 15.

1ST READING:    2 Kgs 4: 42- 44

A man came from Baal-shal-ishad bringing bread and wheat to the man of God. These were from the first part of the harvest, twenty loaves of barley and wheat. Elisha told him, "Give the loaves to these men that they may eat."

His servant said to him, "How am I to divide these loaves among one hundred men?" Elisha insisted, "Give them to the men that they may eat, for Yahweh says: They shall eat and have some left over.." So the man set it before them, and they ate and had some left, as Yahweh had said.

GOSPEL READING:           Jn 6: 1 - 15

After this, Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, near Tiberias, and large crowds followed him because of the miraculous signs they saw when he healed the sick....

Lifting up his eyes, Jesus saw the crowds that were coming to him and said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?" He said this to test Philip, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred silver coins would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a piece."

Then one of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother said, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish: but what good are these for so many?"

Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." There was plenty of grass there so the people, about five thousand men, sat down to rest. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish and gave them as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten enough, he told his disciples, "Gather up the pieces left over, that nothing may be lost."

So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with bread, that is with pieces of the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

When people saw this sign that Jesus had just given, they said, "This is really the Prophet, he who is to come into the world." Jesus realized that they would come and take him by force to make him king; so he fled to the hills by himself.

REFLECTION

There is something very special in town fiesta celebrations in some rural areas in the Philippines: all are welcome to partake of meals at any house. No invitation is needed; food is plentiful and good.

But, as in the Gospel reading today, feeding thousands among hills is a different story: where do you find enough bread to feed five thousand men, not even counting women and children? Interesting that Jesus even asked one of his disciples, Philip, where to buy enough bread for the thousands of people

From the five barley loaves and two fish which a boy in the crowd had, Jesus fed thousands of people and had twelve baskets of left-over bread.

The first reading from the Book of Kings narrates a similar incident of the prophet Elisha feeding a hundred men with twenty loaves of bread.

The miracles of feeding multitudes with a few loaves of bread are signs of the power of God; they are also a sign of God's loving care for the people who were hungry and needed to be fed.

For us especially the feeding miracles foreshadowed Christ's great gift of himself in the Eucharist, giving us his presence and himself as food and drink looking forward to eternal life, wherever and whenever the Eucharist is offered and celebrated.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY 

     Simplicio C. del Carmen

     Justine Albert H. Ramos

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     Johnny Go Ong

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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