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Day 112 - Feeding the Five Thousand

 

Today's Reading: Mark 6:30-44

30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. 34 As he landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; 36 send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat." 37 But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" 38 And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Today's Commentary:

The miracle of the loaves looks both to the past and to the future.

(1) It recalls miraculous feedings from the OT, like the heavenly manna God provided for Israel in the wilderness (Ex 16) and the multiplied loaves and leftover baskets provided by Elisha (2 Kings 4:42-44).

(2) It also anticipates the later institution of the Eucharist, where the same string of verbs (taking . . . blessed . . . broke . . . gave) is found together, something that occurs only here and at the Last Supper.

Gave them to the disciples: Jesus does not give the multiplied bread directly to the crowds but distributes it to them by the hands of his apostles. This mediation foreshadows their role as New Covenant priests, when they apportion to God's people the heavenly bread that Jesus provides in the Eucharist.

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Practicing Recollection Throughout the Day

April 22, 2015 by Connie Rossini  

 

St. John Chrysostom wrote, “It is impossible, utterly impossible, for the man who prays eagerly and invokes God ceaselessly ever to sin” (De Anna 4, 5). Since you are reading this post, I assume that you would like to be able to overcome every temptation. But how can we pray constantly, as not only Chrysostom, but also St. Paul taught (cf 1 Thessalonians 5:17)?

St. Teresa of Avila gives us a place to start. Speaking

about praying vocal prayer well, she pauses a moment to urge her readers to pray throughout the day:

“We must retire within ourselves even during our ordinary occupations. If I can recall the companionship which I have within my soul for as much as a moment, that is of great utility” (Way of Perfection, Chapter 29).

In other words, we should pause often during the day, in the midst of our duties, to spend a moment with God. We don’t have to leave what we are doing. We needn’t take longer than a few seconds. We might begin by choosing a short prayer to say at regular times throughout the day. For example, every time our watch chimes the hour, we might pray silently, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” Or every time we pass a holy picture in our home, we might pray, “Lord, help me to love you with my whole mind, heart, soul, and strength.” Every time we think of food, we could say, “Lord, let me desire you above all earthly pleasures.”

A second way to pray throughout the day would be to imagine serving the Lord in our occupations. A mother dressing her child can imagine she is dressing the Christ Child and do it with special care. A person writing a business plan might imagine himself as an apostle writing the New Testament and write for the glory of God.

Instead of using words, we can use pictures in our minds. Lately I have been picturing the Eucharist in the monstrance several times during the day. I stop what I am doing and gaze at Him, sometimes saying a few words of praise as well. We could also picture the Sacred Heart, the Holy Spirit as a dove, the light of Christ burning in our hearts, or another simple image that can be recalled easily.

Praying throughout the day is not a substitute for a dedicated time of mental prayer. It extends it. It prepares us to be more recollected at mental prayer time. It sanctifies our day and keeps God as our primary focus. And, as St. John Chrysostom noted, it helps us overcome temptation.