Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 14: 22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is the first time that the disciples are without Jesus. And what happens?

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Disaster strikes!

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While they’re on a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee, a major storm approaches – one so large it causes these professional fishermen to fear they’re drowning!

Meanwhile, Jesus tries passing them by, walking calmly across the waves. What terrifies the disciples doesn’t disturb him at all.

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Was this a test?

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Perhaps.

Keep in mind, the disciples just watched Jesus feed five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. 

If he can perform a miracle like that, then why would they fear for their safety? Shouldn’t they trust him?

We’d casually say, “Of course.”

And yet, “their hearts were hardened.” 

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Like the disciples staggering on a boat, there are times when life causes us to lose our balance, making us feel like we’re drowning.

We get overwhelmed by waves of debt; grief; doubt; COVID fatigue; and so on.

But if the Lord has cared for us throughout our lives, then why would he abandon us now? Even when we must make that final crossing into eternal life, the Lord stands on the waters, saying, “Come.”

We will not sink.

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So, what’s the Gospel saying to us today?

Wherever we are on our journeys of faith – and whatever our life circumstances may be – we will not drown. 

Jesus is with us, standing on the waves at the very edge of our comfort zone, saying, “Follow me.”

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Image credits: (1) St. Catherine of Siena, Orange Park, FL (2) San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish, Quezon City (3) Denison Forum

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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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I’m sure some of us have watched the Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

There’s been a developing story about the American gymnast, Simone Biles, considered the greatest gymnast in history, who’s pulled out of nearly every competition, her initial reason being to protect her mental health.

It must be an incredibly difficult decision, but Simone reminds us that sometimes the right thing is the hardest thing to do. 

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Today’s Gospel is similar. 

It begins with terrible news: Jesus is told about the death of his cousin, John the Baptist.

While death is always sad, what makes John’s death harder to accept is the fact that Jesus knows he’s next.

The religious authorities have been after him for some time now; he’s disrupted their way of life and challenged their authority. They know that with the death of John, they can conspire with the Romans to have Jesus executed.

The easy thing for Jesus to do would be to end his ministry and head for the hills. It’s self-preservation 101.

But sometimes the right thing is the hardest thing to do. 

Jesus has come to do his Father’s will, even if it costs him his life.

So, he performs another miracle – the multiplication of the loaves – increasing his following and, effectively, weakening the power of the religious authorities, giving them yet another reason to conspire against him.

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At times we all must make difficult decisions – whether it’s about our health, finances, faith, career, or relationships. And sometimes the right thing is the hardest thing to do.

In those moments, remember the example set by our Lord, who assures us, “Behold, I am with you always until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

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Image credits: (1) The Fray, Pinterest (2) Orthodox Church in America, Beheading of John the Baptist (3) Ever Thine Home

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Gospel: John 6:24-35

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?” 
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
you are looking for me not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you. 
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” 
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” 
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” 
So they said to him,
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? 
What can you do? 
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
    He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”

So they said to him,
“Sir, give us this bread always.” 
Jesus said to them,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I lived in Rome for five years while studying for the priesthood. For three of those years, I served in one of the local prisons, offering a weekly bible study.

Over time, the guards became comfortable with me, allowing me to bring things like clothing in for some of the prisoners, who had nothing more than the clothes on their back.

One of them was a man from central Africa. He was a towering figure with a bald head and a lazy left eye. Once he asked me to bring him a beanie to cover his head because he got cold at night.

So, the following week, I found him out in the rec yard. The guards seemed to be away on a smoke break, so I went up to him alone and gave him his cap.

Eventually, the guards noticed me, so they grabbed me, ranting and raving, threatening to throw me out. “They could hurt you!” they said.

I just looked at the guards and replied, “How can you believe in God with a cold head?”

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It’s hard to believe in a God who cares for you in the afterlife if you cannot see Him or his followers caring for you in the present age.

It’s why Jesus feeds the hungry crowd with the multiplication of the loaves in last week’s Gospel. People need their basic needs met before they can consider bigger, more existential questions like, “Is there a God?”

Having fed them, Jesus now presses the crowd in this week’s Gospel to see their hunger beneath the hunger; we all need more than just food in order to be satisfied.

As Bruce Springsteen famously sang, “Everybody’s Got a Hungry Heart.”

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Jesus promises he can satisfy it.

“Whoever comes to me will never hunger,” he says, “and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

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That’s a bold claim.

It can be particularly challenging for societies like ours to accept, when we have so much readily available at our finger tips. We can Amazon almost anything. If only we could put “happiness” in our cart!

Imagine that: “human happiness.” Buy now with one click.

It’s just not that easy. While we can easily fill our stomachs and shopping carts, it’s much harder to satisfy a hungry heart.

Think about the many ways people try satisfying themselves: iPhones; the internet; social media; shopping sprees; relationships; perpetual work; sports; and so on.

It’s never enough.

Another “like” on Facebook, another follower on Instagram, another trophy, or another addition to our wardrobe still leaves us wanting more.

Perhaps we feel that hunger most when we’re alone; or ill in bed; or during the holidays; or when the work-day is done and we’re sitting on the couch with our iPhone watching Netflix. 

There’s something inside of us that work and social media can’t satisfy. It’s a God-shaped hole, which is why Jesus says, “whoever comes to me will never hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

This is what satisfies a hungry heart: communion with God.

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I’ve certainly found that to be true in my own life.

For example, I remember feeling terribly restless in college. While everything was going great on the surface, I was restless within.

Have you ever felt that way, as if you have everything you need, yet you’re still not satisfied?

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Late one evening, just before midnight, I remember walking over to the chapel on campus, hoping it’d be open so I could pray. Of course, it was closed. 

So, I leaned my head against the chapel door and said: “Lord, I believe that only you can satisfy me. Nothing else has worked. Where do we go from here?”

That question not only led me to converting to Catholicism; it also led me to the priesthood, and eventually here to St. Pius X.

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“Whoever comes to me will never hunger,” Jesus says, “and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

This does not mean that we can pray to God one night and be satisfied forever; we have to return to the Lord consistently. But once we find him – or once He finds us – we don’t need to go anywhere else.

I dream of St. Pius X being a place where people easily encounter God.

A place where young people satisfy their hungry hearts through youth group; children and adults sing their hearts out in choir; and all of us participate in communal prayer, worship, and bible studies.

That transformation has already begun. But the Lord’s inviting all of us to participate.

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Everybody’s got a hungry heart.

And we who seek the Lord can satisfy it.

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Image credits (1) Everybody has a hungry heart, by Gina Dsgn (2) Steve Dusek (3) AZ Quotes (4) Hungry Heart Pin, Etsy