DAILY GOSPEL COMMENTARY: BE CHRIST FOR OTHERS. (Mt 14:13–21).

DAILY GOSPEL COMMENTARY:
BE CHRIST FOR OTHERS. (Mt 14:13–21).

GOSPEL OF MONDAY, 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A (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.

MONDAY, 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
REFLECTION HOMILY

1. Three ideas from the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish.

In today’s Gospel, we see Our Lord, who after hearing the death of John the Baptist, withdrawing to a deserted place by himself, nursing his grief of the death his cousin, whom he knew and loved since he was young, and at the same time praying for him.

1. This shows us that Our Lord understands our pain with the loss of a loved one and could identify with our grief. But He also shows us how to offer our grief to the Father, and then, move on with our life, avoiding to be paralised by it and forgetting those who need us.
2. And that is what Our Lord did: His heart was moved with pity for those who followed him on foot from their towns, he cured their sick till the evening. And he didn’t stop with these portentous deeds. He reacted with compassion (latin: cum-patire, to suffer with). He didn’t just feel sorry with the suffering of others, but he suffered with them to the point of taking their sufferings upon Himself.
3. That is why, contrary to what the Apostles’ suggestion to dismiss the crowds and buy food for themselves, Jesus, who surely was tired after a long day’s work of attending to the needy, performed another miracle from the generosity of a little boy —according to St. Luke— who had five loaves and two fish, feeding 5k men, not counting women and children, who remained satisfied such that there was an abundance of twelve baskets full of leftovers.

2. What does Our Lord wish to teach us today?

1. The multiplication of the loaves and fish is an anticipation of the Holy Eucharist where Our Lord out of love gives Himself abundantly.
   • This abundant love could be seen in the 1^st and 2^nd readings of today’s Mass wherein we were reminded by Our Lord’s words: Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant…neither death, nor life, …[nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
   • This should lead us to thank Our Lord for the gift of His Love and of himself in the Holy Eucharist.
   • And if the conditions in your area allow you to publicly attend Mass and receive Jesus in the Holy Communion in the best disposition, I would encourage you to do so because it is in the Holy Eucharist where Our Lord nourishes us with His Body and gives us his Life to be other Christs. Christ for others.
2. Lord, am I putting the means to be Christ for others?
   • A lot of people in the world are suffering today and as Christians, we could ask ourselves if we have Christ’s love and compassion for those who suffer.
     • “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” ― Teresa of Avila
   • We are now Christ’s body, hands, feet: heart. Are we showing Christ’s compassion to those who suffer? Perhaps one could say: Father, I’m suffering as well, what could I do to help others?
     • Don’t forget that the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish started with the generosity of a little boy who surrendered his five loaves and 2 fish…
     • The little things we could do and give out of love are the start of something big which God makes use of to do wonders.
     •  And if we do so, with God’s grace, countless men and women will experience through us, God’s presence, help and consolation during this pandemic.

Be convinced: God is truly present in the Holy Eucharist, but not only there: He is also in those who suffer —the sick, the grieving, the poor— and in those who alleviate with their self-giving and service to the suffering, being other Christs for them.

• Let us thank God for His abundant love in the Holy Eucharist.
• And let us ask Him the grace to be Christs for others, by bringing him our own five loaves and two fish, i.e., helping those who suffer in our own little way so that God’s compassion, love and kindness will be manifest in this world in pandemic.

Our Lady of the Angels, pray for those who are sick, suffering and dying. Pray for us.
A Blessed Sunday and week ahead! Fr. Rolly Arjonillo

VIDEO COMMENTARIES

TOPIC 1: DO YOU WANT TO GROW OR JUST GRUMBLE AND CRUMBLE?

In today’s first reading from the book of Numbers, the Israelites continue to complain about their hardship in the desert. They claim they have been starving because all they had to eat was manna. They want meat this time instead of the manna that has been fed them by God every single day. God did send them quails for dinner every day; too much, in fact, that they again complained. We reflect today on our own state of life – are we habitual complainers?

TOPIC 2: Do you know what happens when you show love, compassion and generosity to those who ask for your help?

After John the Baptist’s beheading in the court of Herod Antipas, Jesus withdraws from the populace. He may have needed some time to rest after a back-breaking schedule of teachings. It could also be to avoid the radar of His enemies.

But as He alights from the boat on the other side of Galilee, He is met by a large crowd. He sees many of them pleading for healing and, out of compassion, He accedes.

Oftentimes, we are caught by unexpected calls for help. In these pandemic times, how many came to us pleading for money to buy food, for help in looking for a job, for assistance to bring a loved one to the hospital?

We all have plans for our day. We may not even want to plan but just to laze around, rest and be left alone. We have probably scheduled Zoom meetings with friends, or colleagues at work, or community and parish activities. Our day may have been allotted for watching Netflix movies and TV series, baking and cooking lessons, following a You Tube or Facebook exercise video or vlog.

And then this unexpected call for help. We may ignore, refuse, make excuses to this inconvenient and time- and money-consuming call. But is this what Christ will do in such a situation? Is this how God will respond when it’s our time to ask for help?

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