Gospel of Matthew 14:13-21
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....
I woke up in the middle of the night with more stomach and intestinal pains. The burning and aching comes and goes. I thought I was rid of this stomach discomfort weeks ago, but it's lingering. I'm starting to think I've developed a REAL ulcer. My family has a history of them. My sister was once hospitalized with over a dozen bleeding ulcers. Yikes!....I despise going to the doctor, but this is getting to be too much! The fact that I can no longer enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine without pain isn't fun....
I confess that I skipped out on my normal 7:30am Mass duties. I overslept from tossing and turning all night. I managed to attend a later mass but left right after communion. My tummy just felt terrible. Hopefully God will forgive me for not fully participating in mass as usual. I'm such a wimp when it comes to pain and don't want to look sickly around others!
Oh, how I'd love to dine on loaves and fish with Jesus and the five thousand! What an awesome experience to be there in the flesh, seeing such a miraculous miracle take place. I'm sure it lifted up Jesus' spirits to help feed the crowd. The death of John the Baptist must have been shocking and devastating to our Lord. Just being alone in his boat gave him a chance to privately mourn. I'm sure our Lord prayed to the Father on behalf of John's soul. No man should have to endure such a horrendous murder.
Instead of pitying himself and the loss of his dear cousin, Jesus was moved with pity by the vast crowds. He saw their dire need for love and compassion. Jesus realized he must move away from his own grief and turn his sorrow into something good. He must preach to the crowds, feeding his sheep so they will receive spiritual nourishment.
As Catholics, we have the opportunity to receive the Eucharist every day of the week! We can continuous nourish our souls with the spiritual food so vital in keeping us bonded to Christ in mind, heart, body, and soul.
Sometimes our stomachs may ache with pain, and we are resistant to dine off of Christ's body and blood. Perhaps we are riddled with sin in the form of bleeding ulcers overtaking our souls. The pain and the agony just won't go away. We need to visit Jesus the heavenly physician in the Sacrament of Confession in order to heal our stomachs. Cure ulcers that cause so much pain in our lives. Once we are given spiritual antibiotics by the Lord himself we can feel more confident to present ourselves at the Lord's table. Consume the holy body and blood of Jesus Christ in a spirit of thanksgiving. Suddenly, our pain and anguish disappears. We are once again nourished by the Eucharist.
Once our hearts, minds, body and souls reconnect with Christ, we have an opportunity to feed the rest of the flock through evangelization and witness. We can go out into the world and proclaim the good news, recognizing the Truth of Jesus Christ is satisfying. It only becomes dissatisfying when we choose to push away God and all that he represents.
Feed the multitudes through acts of love, faith, hope, and charity. Receive the Holy Eucharist devoutly and often in order to develop the strength and fortitude to be an effective Christian disciple.
-J.
As Catholics, we have the opportunity to receive the Eucharist every day of the week! We can continuous nourish our souls with the spiritual food so vital in keeping us bonded to Christ in mind, heart, body, and soul.
Sometimes our stomachs may ache with pain, and we are resistant to dine off of Christ's body and blood. Perhaps we are riddled with sin in the form of bleeding ulcers overtaking our souls. The pain and the agony just won't go away. We need to visit Jesus the heavenly physician in the Sacrament of Confession in order to heal our stomachs. Cure ulcers that cause so much pain in our lives. Once we are given spiritual antibiotics by the Lord himself we can feel more confident to present ourselves at the Lord's table. Consume the holy body and blood of Jesus Christ in a spirit of thanksgiving. Suddenly, our pain and anguish disappears. We are once again nourished by the Eucharist.
Once our hearts, minds, body and souls reconnect with Christ, we have an opportunity to feed the rest of the flock through evangelization and witness. We can go out into the world and proclaim the good news, recognizing the Truth of Jesus Christ is satisfying. It only becomes dissatisfying when we choose to push away God and all that he represents.
Feed the multitudes through acts of love, faith, hope, and charity. Receive the Holy Eucharist devoutly and often in order to develop the strength and fortitude to be an effective Christian disciple.
-J.
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