Jesús Salazar Brenes, LC
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Christ, our King.
Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Nourish us, Lord, with the bread of your word and satisfy our hearts with your love. Make us your apostles so that we may bring our experience to those who need it most.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 15:29-37
At that time Jesus came to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain and sat down. Many people came to him, bringing with them the crippled, the blind, the lame, the deaf and dumb, and many others who were sick. They laid them at his feet and he healed them. The people were filled with wonder, when they saw that the crippled were healed, the blind could see, the dumb could speak, and the lame could walk; so they glorified the God of Israel. Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, “I am sorry for these people, for they have been with me three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, for they may faint on the way.” The disciples asked him, “Where are we going to get enough bread in this uninhabited place to feed such a crowd?” Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They answered, “Seven, and a few fish.” When Jesus had commanded the people to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks to God, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples to the people. They all ate their fill, and filled seven baskets with the pieces that were left over.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
When we are hungry, everything speaks to us about food. Any delicious smell brings back memories, or we seek to prepare something “made with love”. If we seek to nourish our body, we cannot forget that our soul also needs to be nourished; thus, many everyday things will speak to us of Jesus, will bring back memories of our experience with Him, and we will seek the peace that comes from true love.
Many people sought and still seek Jesus out of interest, remembering Him in a very earthly way, only when they need something, as happens in the Gospel; they seek Jesus because they want to heal their bodies, perhaps without caring much about His message that heals the soul. Others, perhaps, followed Jesus because they wanted to see him, as if he were the sensational attraction of the moment. Nevertheless, in spite of knowing the deepest intentions of each one, Jesus feels pity for all equally and wants to nourish them in body and spirit.
How good is Jesus who does not differentiate! Knowing our heart, our history and our intentions, he does not want us to lose heart on the way and he makes himself bread to feed us. Let us look at the Gospel: He pronounces the thanksgiving (he pronounces the “eucháristein” according to the Greek text) and gives the bread to his disciples and they to the people, just as it happens today in the Eucharist. Jesus comes through the hands of his disciples and gives himself to us in heavenly food, nourishing our soul and transforming us into his living presence. Now we have a challenge, to bring the light of Christ's presence to so many people who are hungry and do not know how to be satisfied. One day they presented seven loaves of bread to the Lord, all they had to eat, and He not only multiplied them, but there was more left over than they gave Him. When we are generous with God, His measure with us is overabundance.
«Jesus is attentive to the primary needs of the people. The episode arises from a concrete fact: people are hungry and Jesus involves his disciples so that this hunger may be satisfied. This is the concrete fact. To the crowd, Jesus did not limit himself to giving this - he offered his Word, his consolation, his salvation, his life - but he certainly did also this: he took care of the food for the body. And we, his disciples, cannot do as if it were nothing. Only by listening to the simplest requests of people or by putting ourselves close to their concrete existential situations can we be heard when we speak of higher values. God's love for humanity hungry for bread, for freedom, for justice, for peace, and above all for his divine grace never fails».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, July 29, 2018).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Today I will bring the bread of the word to another person in normal conversation, or, if possible, I will attend the Eucharist, even if it is not Sunday.
Farewell
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
