Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: John 6:1-15

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples. 
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” 
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. 
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” 
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (pronounced Gon-ja Boya-jew) was an ordinary child. Her father died when she was nine, leaving her mother to raise three children alone. 

Although they were by no means wealthy, her mother taught her an important lesson from a very early age: never eat a single meal unless you are sharing it with others. For that reason, the family often invited the poorest in the city to dine with them.

Such a formative lesson stuck with Agnes for the rest of her life. Little did she know then that she’d start a global movement, turning the world’s attention to the poorest among us.

In 1937, Agnes took her final religious vows, becoming the person we all know now as Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa never did anything extraordinary; she fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and comforted the dying. 

But when she offered her life – her five loaves and two fish – to the Lord, she changed the world.

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The same message is given in today’s Gospel. 

A young boy offers Jesus his five loaves and two fish. In itself, that’s enough to feed a few people. But when placed in the hands of Christ, it becomes enough to feed thousands.

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When we offer our lives to God, anything is possible.

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Acts 5:27-33:

When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men. 
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The Word of the Lord.

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I was quite the “nerd” in college. I remember sitting in class on the first day of school, scanning the syllabus for each course. What were the research paper topics? The exam dates? Did we have mid-terms?

Immediately afterwards, I’d rush to the library – as if there’d be a long line in a college library the first day of class! – and check out all of the books I needed for the semester.

The journey back to my dorm room felt like an eternity; my muscles ached from carrying all those books. 

But I didn’t care. As soon as I was seated at my desk, I could dive into limitless amounts of information.

You might say the “weight/wait” was worth it.

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In our first reading, the Apostles have run into trouble… again. 

The Sanhedrin – the same group that put Jesus to death – has had the Apostles flogged and imprisoned for preaching about the resurrection. 

Now they want to kill them because they see the results; people are starting to believe in Jesus. In fact, Peter converts some crowds by the thousands.

Although the Apostles are in grave danger, they remain undeterred; this is their opportunity to suffer for Christ. He suffered for our sake, now they will suffer for his.

Like carrying a stack of books across campus, the ache of suffering is worth it; the Apostles see the end goal.

As Saint Paul later writes, “If we have died with Christ, we shall also live with Christ. If we endure, we shall also reign with him.” Their suffering is a way into his kingdom.

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Are we willing to suffer for Christ?

When a difficult choice is placed before us, do we seek the easy way out? When our faith or the Church is ridiculed do we speak up? When our morality is tested, do we give in?

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Our crosses may feel heavy at times, much like carrying a stack of books. But the “weight/wait” is worth it.  Like the Apostles, those who are faithful to the Lord will surely enter his kingdom.

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Acts 4:32-37

The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the Apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the Apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.

Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas
(which is translated son of encouragement”),
a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,
sold a piece of property that he owned,
then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.

The Word of the Lord.

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Throughout the Easter season, our first reading is often taken from the Acts of the Apostles, which describes the life of the early Church, answering questions like:

How did the first Christians react to the resurrection? How did they worship God? Did they celebrate Mass? Did they live in community?

One of those questions is answered today.

In our first reading, we hear, “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own.”

The first Christians were immensely generous.

Barnabas, for example, sells his property, laying the profits at the feet of the Apostles so that others who are poor and hungry might be clothed and fed that night.

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In many ways, the Church has continued that tradition of giving.

We as an institution have founded more hospitals, schools, orphanages, soup kitchens, and universities than any other group or institution on the planet.

We’ve put flesh and bones on that line from scripture, “God loves a cheerful giver.”

While we don’t have to sell our property like Barnabas, there are ways we can still contribute to the wellbeing of others through a thoughtful gesture, breaking the bonds of isolation, donating to charity, or simply bending our ear to another.

Like other Christians who’ve gone before me, how might I be a cheerful giver today?

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