1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
...This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth...
We should always keep in mind that if Moses was able to turn back God's anger and withhold His destructive wrath how much more Jesus His only begotten Son who suffered, was obedient to the point of death on the Cross and gave Himself as ransom to redeem us from all our sins. Let us not forget even for a second nor neglect this truth every single minute, hour and day of our lives that we have been ransomed, saved and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus. Our little gods and idols can not do anything for us. They are useless and stupid things. How foolish we can be as a people of God to do such things and be off track by turning away from where the Lord has pointed out. A lot of terrible things happen when we forget. Important and significant events in our life should always hold a special place in our hearts. We must not ignore those times when we had those special moments with the Lord. These will serve as a constant reminder to us and would definitely help us remain faithful to the Lord. Our memory of this, though very wonderful to forget may sometimes become dull or fade in the background when we are beset by the present and daily cares of this world. We may eventually lose the awe and wonder that we used to feel about it as time passes most especially when we encounter trials and difficulties. Today's psalm tells us to always remember, never forget and always tell our story of the goodness of God. Let us not forget and be mindful always of the love of God. Sometimes when things don't turn out the way we wanted or expected we get sidetracked by the realities of this world then we start to immediately or slowly lose sight of the goodness of God. No matter what our situation is we must not forget that God saved us, had done great and wondrous deeds and He alone has the power to make things happen and not happen in our lives. We have to be in a relationship with the only true God. If there's something we really need to be thankful to God for bringing us to life at this present time that is the fact that we have a glorious background that we can always draw strength, hope and inspiration. We need to focus on this and be aware that we've got so many things in this present life to look back to and be blessed. The timeline of our salvation history demonstrates God's persistent and consistent effort to win our hearts and be in a relationship with us. Not to forget that after Jesus, the saints followed which added to the color of this long time running declaration and evidence of God's great love for us. It's been quite a while already that He has been waiting for our answer much more than a suitor offering his pledge of love to his lady. We should never doubt any single moment that God is good all the time and all we need to do is just give thanks to Him no matter what our circumstances may be. Let us always remind ourselves of the good things God has done in our lives. Let us always count our blessings instead of focus on the negative things. We are constantly reminded in the readings today to always work for the things that win the favor of God. It's not because of any selfish motive but because what we do is born out of great love for the Lord. God calls us to repent and live a new life. There's one very important thing that we should be guided with. We always have to keep in mind that a repentance born out of fear will never last but repentance born out of love will last. We should always keep in mind the great love of God for all of us. Our Lord's instructions are very simple and easy to understand. It is in the following and obeying part that we find difficulty in doing. Let us always focus our eyes on the Lord and remember to follow and keep what the responsorial psalm tells us if we intend to live a blessed life not just in the beginning but to the end. Amen. Hallelujah!
R: Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
... Our fathers in
We must admit that we have heard this story in the bible of the multiplication of the bread so many times already since we were children and somehow lost the awe and wonder that we experienced when we first heard about it. Or as mature Christians should the case be so? Rather we should have developed a deeper and better understanding of this story and relate it to our life in the most meaningful way. The truth is that we should always feel the reality of these stories in our life and not treat it as "their story" but rather be in a position to say that it is also "our story". There is a God who loves and cares for us even before we ask. He already knows our needs and will provide for it. There is only one thing that could satisfy all our needs and that we can find in Jesus. If sometimes we feel like we're about to give up just focus on Jesus because He has been through a lot more than any of us could imagine and He is Son of God the Most High. If we will just faithfully follow His leading in our lives no matter how difficult life may seem, we can always count on Him to fill us to satisfaction with all the good things and more. The multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle that can be found in all 4 gospels. It is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist and emphasizes the importance of this sacrament of the breaking of the bread and wine. Its counterpart in the Old Testament is the falling down of manna in the dessert. There are some important points to ponder about this miracle in relation to the Eucharist. When Jesus fed the multitude there is always some left over. The tabernacle in the Church where the Sacred Host is kept is reserved for the sick, homebound and dying and is also for private devotion for adoration. We should keep in mind the beautiful effects of the Eucharist. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the effects of the Eucharist, cleanses and separates us from venial sins and commits us to solidarity with the poor. In the miracle it is said that they had nothing to eat which is symbolic with the poor. It communicates to us, through worthy reception, the mystery of the communion with the Trinity. It also establishes the community of believers and a foretaste of the future life in heaven. It is a way of advancing in virtue and helps transform the person through Christ, by shunning and rooting out vices. It provides increase of grace received in baptism which is a source of penance. The effect to the human heart is immeasurable because it is true spiritual food as we receive the body and blood of Jesus, the very author of grace Himself. It unites one into belief with Christ. Through the Eucharist, we assimilate the life of Christ and unites Christians. It unites us with the heavenly liturgy to be realized fully at the end of time for those who are saved. We participate in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross because mass represents that one sacrifice on Calvary . Take note of the word represent which our protestant brothers and sister mistakenly take as repetition of the sacrifice. St. Ignatius of Antioch said that the Eucharist is the medicine of immortality without which we have no life. This is what he said as he was on his way to his death sentence to be fed to the lions. He assimilated himself with Christ and considered himself like the crushed wheat in the mouth of the lion or that of the crushed grapes in the wine press. As we eat the Bread of Life we are gathered into Christ's body and made members so that we may receive the power belonging to this divine food. We assimilate the suffering of Christ to allow one’s self to be crushed in our own suffering. It could be any difficulty that we want to assimilate to the life of Christ. St. Peter Chrisologus said that we should ask for our daily bread as in Our Father prayer, as the bread of heaven, baked in the tomb of heaven, sown in the virgin and brought to the altars to furnish the faithful with food in heaven. The sum and summary of our faith and our way of thinking should be attuned to the Eucharist and vice versa the Eucharist should be attuned to our own thinking as stated by St. Ireneus. These are only a few of the quotes from the Church doctors who tell about the beauty of the Most Holy Eucharist. The source and summit of the Christian life, the Most Blessed Sacrament exalted above all the other 6 sacraments. Baptism the gateway sacrament is received before any other sacrament, penance wipes away sin and each of the other sacraments has its own private place and effect the place it signifies. All of these sacraments are bound up in the Eucharist which is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of the communion of the divine life. It is the culmination of Christ’s action to sanctify the world. We must conform our life to the Eucharist and must realize the great gift we have in this sacrament. Amen. Hallelujah!
Mark 8:1-10
In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over — seven baskets. There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
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