Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 2 Kgs 4:42-44
A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of God, twenty barley loaves made from the firstfruits, and fresh grain in the ear. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.” But his servant objected, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” Elisha insisted, “Give it to the people to eat.” “For thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’”And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
R. (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
Reading 2 Eph 4:1-6
Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst.
God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.
Alleluia Lk 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.A great prophet has arisen in our midst.
God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Jn 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.
“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.”
Sisters and brothers in the Lord did you know that the
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations has estimated that approximately
30 billion dollars a year could end world hunger. This might seem like a lot of money (and
truly it is) but consider this; military spending in the United States is
projected to reach close to 600 billion in 2015! And so the question we must ask ourselves
individually and as a nation is; are we doing enough to help feed those that
are most in need? In today’s readings
God simply does not magically make bread appear out of nowhere to feed the
hungry, He uses mediators to be the instruments of His love. In the first reading Elisha is used as God’s
instrument to multiply the loaves for the hungry, and in the Gospel we see the
Son of Man take the young boy’s loaves and feed thousands of people! Sisters and brothers, are you a mediator and
instrument of God’s abundant Love? Do
you give without expecting anything in return?
Do you try to not only satisfy the hunger of the body but also the
hunger of the soul? Do you invite others
to the Bread of Life, the Holy Eucharist; do you allow yourself to become the
hand of the Lord? Sisters and brothers, God wants to give to us, and to give to
us in abundance, but we must be prepared to not only receive His Grace but to
share it with others. This day let us
unite in praise and thanksgiving of our God who not only sustains our needs in
this world, but also gives us the Bread of Life which unites us for all
eternity! Go out today and feed the hungry!
“Enseguida tomó
Jesús los panes, y después de dar gracias a Dios, se los fue repartiendo a los
que se habían sentado a comer. Igualmente les fue dando de los pescados todo lo
que quisieron.”
Hermanas y
hermanos en el Señor, ¿sabía que la
Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura ha
estimado que aproximadamente 30 millones de dólares al año podría acabar con el
hambre mundial? Esto puede parecer como un montón de dinero (y en verdad lo es)
pero considere esto; ¡el presupuesto militar en los Estados Unidos se espera
que alcance cerca de 600 mil millones en el 2015! Y así, la pregunta que
debemos hacernos a nosotros mismos como individuos y como nación es ¿estamos
haciendo lo suficiente para ayudar a alimentar a los que más lo necesitan? En
las lecturas de hoy Dios simplemente no mágicamente hace que el pan aparezca
mágicamente de la nada para alimentar a los hambrientos. Él usa mediadores para
ser los instrumentos de su amor. En la primera lectura, Eliseo es utilizado
como instrumento de Dios para multiplicar los panes para los hambrientos, y en
el Evangelio vemos al Hijo del Hombre tomar panes del joven y alimentar a miles
de personas. Hermanas y hermanos, ¿es usted un mediador e instrumento de abundante
amor de Dios? ¿Da sin esperar nada a cambio? ¿Trata de no sólo satisfacer el
hambre del cuerpo, sino también el hambre del alma? ¿Invita a otros al Pan de
Vida, la Sagrada Eucaristía; se permite ser la mano del Señor? Hermanas y
hermanos, Dios quiere dar a nosotros, y darnos en abundancia, pero debemos
estar preparados no sólo para recibir su gracia sino para compartir con los
demás. Este día vamos a unirnos en alabanza y acción de gracias de nuestro
Dios, que no sólo sostiene nuestras necesidades en este mundo, sino que también
nos da el pan de vida que nos une para toda la eternidad. ¡Vaya hoy y de les de
comer a los que tienen hambre!
