News & Events
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Posted in News
2nd August 2026
Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat
privately to a solitary place. Hearing this the crowd followed him on
foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had
compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the
disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s
already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the
villages and buy themselves some food. “Jesus replied, “They do not
need to go away. You give them something to eat. ”We have here only
five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.” Bring them here to
me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he
gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples,
and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were
satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken
pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about
five thousand men, besides women and children
______________________________
Homily
Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat
privately to a solitary place. Hearing this the crowd followed him on
foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had
compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the
disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s
already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the
villages and buy themselves some food. “Jesus replied, “They do not
need to go away. You give them something to eat. ”We have here only
five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.” Bring them here to
me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he
gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples,
and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were
satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken
pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about
five thousand men, besides women and children
______________________________
Homily
Many years ago, when I was still a parish priest, I introduced into
the parish the practice of Lectio Divina, a study of scripture in
which one learns how to apply the scriptures to oneself. When the week
of the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time Cycle A came around, as we began
applying the Gospel reading to ourselves, a young man in his
contribution, described a day when he went to see a Test Match in a
cricket series. He told us that he was sitting in the pavilion
alongside a family whom he did not know. When the lunch break came,
he got up to buy something for himself but to his surprise the mother
in the family stopped him and invited him to eat with them. He then
told us that remembering that moment made him question what was truly
the miracle? Was it that Jesus had multiplied the five loaves and two
fish or was it that the people hearing what Jesus had said, had
decided to share what they had.
the parish the practice of Lectio Divina, a study of scripture in
which one learns how to apply the scriptures to oneself. When the week
of the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time Cycle A came around, as we began
applying the Gospel reading to ourselves, a young man in his
contribution, described a day when he went to see a Test Match in a
cricket series. He told us that he was sitting in the pavilion
alongside a family whom he did not know. When the lunch break came,
he got up to buy something for himself but to his surprise the mother
in the family stopped him and invited him to eat with them. He then
told us that remembering that moment made him question what was truly
the miracle? Was it that Jesus had multiplied the five loaves and two
fish or was it that the people hearing what Jesus had said, had
decided to share what they had.
It is important however that we truly understand the climate
or the psychological moment that Jesus was or living if we are to
understand the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus has just heard that
his cousin, John the Baptist has been arrested and executed by Herod.
The situation was that Herod had married his sister-in-law, Herodias.
While Herod himself had certain respect for John, Herodias hated him
because of his denunciation of her marriage to Herod in spite of her
previous marriage to Herrod’s brother. During a party in which a large
amount of wine was being drunk, Herod made a rather stupid promise to
the girl, Herodios’ daughter, because her dancing pleased him. He
pledged to give her anything she wanted even if it was half his
kingdom. The young girl asked her mother what she should demand and
the mother because of her hatred for John, told her daughter to ask
for the head of John the Baptist. Afraid not to keep his word, even
though he respected John, Herod permitted the execution of John whose
head was brought on a dish and given to the child. As happens when
evil is permitted, the story of the beheading of John soon made the
news. Jesus is told about it and is upset. John was his cousin. John
leapt for joy in his mother’s womb at the visitation. John had
proclaimed Jesus as the greatest because He, unlike John who baptized
with water, was going to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Jesus also declared “I assure you that no one who has ever been born
is greater than John the Baptist. Yet whoever is least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater. John the Baptist as the greatest is rooted in
the prophetic fulfillment of old Testament prophecies and the unique
role John played in the transition from the old covenant prophets to
the coming of Christ. His ministry, which included calling Israel to
repentance and directing attention to the Messiah, had a profound
impact on the people of Judea and beyond. John’s prophetic role and
his introduction of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world are key reasons why Jesus considers him the greatest.
Faced with this reality, the unjust execution of John, who has played
a great role in the preparation of the people for the experience of
the messiah, Jesus wants to have a period of quiet, of prayer, and
probably a moment of reflection to situate himself once more in the
task which he has been given by the Father and so he goes off by
himself seeking a place of quiet where he can experience a moment of
solitude with the Father. The crowds know that he is around however
and search him out. Jesus has crossed the lake however, probably
thinking that he will have this period of solitude to understand more
fully what the Father wants of him. The drunkenness and cowardice of
Herod, the maliciousness of Herodias, the silence of the Jews at
Herod’s birthday party must all have had an effect on Jesus. Time with
the Father was therefore very important to him at that moment. The
crowds, however, had other thoughts. There were those who had sick
relatives and friends and wanted them to be healed, there were those
for whom his teaching brought great hope and those wanted to hear him
again and there were those who wanted to catch him saying something
for which he could be punished. They all went searching for him and
found him on the other side of the lake.
The Gospel passage tells us that when Jesus saw such a large crowd, he
had compassion on them and he did two things, he healed their sick and
then he fed them. The question for us, the question which we must ask
ourselves is this: What was Jesus really doing. I think that Jesus was
doing what he was sent by the Father to do, i.e. The restoration of
the Harmony of the Garden of Eden and he was giving the people a
little taste of the happiness and joy of heaven. Jesus did what the
Father sent him to do in two phases. First, he healed them. Healing my
dear brothers and sisters is the restoration of bodily harmony, when a
person is ill, the harmony of the body is lost, our bodily reactions
are not what they should be. If we are blind, we do not see and we can
injure ourselves. If we are not hearing, we do not recognize sounds
which tell us that danger is close. Bodily and mental healing are
necessary for a safe life. This is the first thing which Jesus did for
the crowd. He healed them and in so doing he began for this crowd the
restoration of the harmony of the Garden of Eden. It is for this that
in the world of today, God calls some persons to be healers, doctors
and nurses, so that the bodily harmony which Adam and Eve enjoyed may
be restored. Then we are told he fed the crowd.
had compassion on them and he did two things, he healed their sick and
then he fed them. The question for us, the question which we must ask
ourselves is this: What was Jesus really doing. I think that Jesus was
doing what he was sent by the Father to do, i.e. The restoration of
the Harmony of the Garden of Eden and he was giving the people a
little taste of the happiness and joy of heaven. Jesus did what the
Father sent him to do in two phases. First, he healed them. Healing my
dear brothers and sisters is the restoration of bodily harmony, when a
person is ill, the harmony of the body is lost, our bodily reactions
are not what they should be. If we are blind, we do not see and we can
injure ourselves. If we are not hearing, we do not recognize sounds
which tell us that danger is close. Bodily and mental healing are
necessary for a safe life. This is the first thing which Jesus did for
the crowd. He healed them and in so doing he began for this crowd the
restoration of the harmony of the Garden of Eden. It is for this that
in the world of today, God calls some persons to be healers, doctors
and nurses, so that the bodily harmony which Adam and Eve enjoyed may
be restored. Then we are told he fed the crowd.
My dear sisters and brothers, the feeding of the hungry is the
restoration of societal harmony. After harmony was lost in the garden
of Eden, the book of Genesis tells us that Cain killed Abel. And
later books tell us of the growth of enmity between peoples, they tell
us of the tower of Babel, of the emergence of slavery, of the wars for
food bearing lands. And of God sending the prophets to remind us that
societal harmony is only restored when we look after the orphan and
the widow. The book of Deuteronomy is the constant reminder of
societal obligations which if followed ensures that the problems of
this world in which we live are resolved. It is for this that the
vocation to judicial life has endured. It has endured so that all
people will be protected by the dictates of judicial equity
Moral or religious harmony is the glue which ensures that these
different aspects of harmony exist alongside each other, so that we
can be what God wants us to be, so that what was there in the
beginning and was lost because human beings began thinking of
themselves and not of God can be restored. The restoration of these
different aspects of harmony calls us, my dear sisters and brothers,
to recognize that God is with us. We can now walk with him in the cool
of the evening as Adam and Eve did. God accompanies us, we can talk to
him, we can tell him about our challenges, our hopes, our desires We
can tell him what we want to be and the problems which we have in
being faithful. This my dear sisters and brothers is what we are
called to be and how we are called to act and to live.
Unfortunately, all of us, despite what has been said before, often
enough forget our call to harmony but God continues to give us what we
need to be strengthened. Just as Christ feed the five thousand, Christ
continues to feed us through daily or weekly Eucharistic celebrations.
Christ himself, the bread of life, becomes present to us, and
strengthens us, if we see societal harmony as a desired and necessary
value, to rebuild harmony in our communities, in our villages, in our
towns and among nations. He strengthens us again to look after the
widow and the orphan so that one day we may all together enjoy the
heavenly banquet. It is for this that God has created us. To help
others achieve what God desires for us. This is our vocation. The
vocation of every human being. May we be faithful.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, you created us to share your
happiness in this world and in the world to come. Unfortunately, we
failed you in the Garden of Eden. This world of tremendous beauty, we
abused and often enough changed its beauty into ugliness. Despite our
failures, because of your tremendous love, you sent us your son to
help us to recreate the beauty and harmony which was lost. Help us
Father to listen to your Son. Help us to make of his words, our
program for life. So that in the end you will recognize the image of
your Son in us, and we will become for others the image which will
fortify our resolve and our steps, and the world will become a better
home for all. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother
and Jesus, your Son. Amen
restoration of societal harmony. After harmony was lost in the garden
of Eden, the book of Genesis tells us that Cain killed Abel. And
later books tell us of the growth of enmity between peoples, they tell
us of the tower of Babel, of the emergence of slavery, of the wars for
food bearing lands. And of God sending the prophets to remind us that
societal harmony is only restored when we look after the orphan and
the widow. The book of Deuteronomy is the constant reminder of
societal obligations which if followed ensures that the problems of
this world in which we live are resolved. It is for this that the
vocation to judicial life has endured. It has endured so that all
people will be protected by the dictates of judicial equity
Moral or religious harmony is the glue which ensures that these
different aspects of harmony exist alongside each other, so that we
can be what God wants us to be, so that what was there in the
beginning and was lost because human beings began thinking of
themselves and not of God can be restored. The restoration of these
different aspects of harmony calls us, my dear sisters and brothers,
to recognize that God is with us. We can now walk with him in the cool
of the evening as Adam and Eve did. God accompanies us, we can talk to
him, we can tell him about our challenges, our hopes, our desires We
can tell him what we want to be and the problems which we have in
being faithful. This my dear sisters and brothers is what we are
called to be and how we are called to act and to live.
Unfortunately, all of us, despite what has been said before, often
enough forget our call to harmony but God continues to give us what we
need to be strengthened. Just as Christ feed the five thousand, Christ
continues to feed us through daily or weekly Eucharistic celebrations.
Christ himself, the bread of life, becomes present to us, and
strengthens us, if we see societal harmony as a desired and necessary
value, to rebuild harmony in our communities, in our villages, in our
towns and among nations. He strengthens us again to look after the
widow and the orphan so that one day we may all together enjoy the
heavenly banquet. It is for this that God has created us. To help
others achieve what God desires for us. This is our vocation. The
vocation of every human being. May we be faithful.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, you created us to share your
happiness in this world and in the world to come. Unfortunately, we
failed you in the Garden of Eden. This world of tremendous beauty, we
abused and often enough changed its beauty into ugliness. Despite our
failures, because of your tremendous love, you sent us your son to
help us to recreate the beauty and harmony which was lost. Help us
Father to listen to your Son. Help us to make of his words, our
program for life. So that in the end you will recognize the image of
your Son in us, and we will become for others the image which will
fortify our resolve and our steps, and the world will become a better
home for all. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother
and Jesus, your Son. Amen
 |
|
