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Gospel: Matthew 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.”
He 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Just before this miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, the Lord attempts to withdraw to a deserted place by himself.
I’d imagine he desired a few moments of privacy after hearing about the death of his cousin, John the Baptist. Jesus needed to pray, to grieve, and to process – not only the loss of a loved one – but also the grim reality that his own death was drawing near.
But the crowds knew where Jesus was headed, so they met him there.
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Instead of shewing the crowd away, as the disciples wanted him to do, Jesus receives the sick and heals them. Matthew tells us, “His heart was moved with pity for them.” Literally, his innards were stirred with compassion.
Here we discover a beautiful insight into the heart of our Lord. You and I are never a burden to him.
While Jesus could’ve used a few precious moments to grieve and pray, he sets aside his own personal needs in order to serve others – a small reminder of the greater sacrifice he makes in taking on our flesh.
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What might this moment in our Lord’s life mean for us?
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Sometimes you and I are called to exercise a higher degree of charity – taking our eye off of the clock, as it were, putting the needs of others first.
This might involve taking a friend to the doctor, returning a phone call, or preparing a meal for someone in need. Or, perhaps, a greater deal of time – caring for an aging parent or an ill spouse over months, even years.
While these moments might draw us away from ourselves – perhaps it’s there that we are found. Charity makes us ever more like our Lord, “who first loved us and gave himself for us.”
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