Posted on 02/14/2020 11:19:22 PM PST by Salvation
Jeroboam thought to himself:
“The kingdom will return to David’s house.
If now this people go up to offer sacrifices
in the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem,
the hearts of this people will return to their master,
Rehoboam, king of Judah,
and they will kill me.”
After taking counsel, the king made two calves of gold
and said to the people:
“You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough.
Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
And he put one in Bethel, the other in Dan.
This led to sin, because the people frequented those calves
in Bethel and in Dan.
He also built temples on the high places
and made priests from among the people who were not Levites.
Jeroboam established a feast in the eighth month
on the fifteenth day of the month
to duplicate in Bethel the pilgrimage feast of Judah,
with sacrifices to the calves he had made;
and he stationed in Bethel priests of the high places he had built.
Jeroboam did not give up his evil ways after this,
but again made priests for the high places
from among the common people.
Whoever desired it was consecrated
and became a priest of the high places.
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.
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
We have sinned, we and our fathers;
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in Egypt
considered not your wonders.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They made a calf in Horeb
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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?”
They replied, “Seven.”
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 the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples
and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
St. Anthony Mary Claret
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The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, |
Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute. (Mark 8:6)
Did you ever stop on a hiking trail because the scene before you was amazing, only to find that, a few steps further on, the view is even more astounding? That’s one way to look at today’s Gospel. Jesus takes seven loaves of bread and a few fish and feeds a hungry crowd of thousands, with food to spare. That’s amazing, no doubt.
Now take a step further, and set your gaze a little higher. It’s absolutely astounding that today, Jesus still gives thanks for whatever little we offer him. He blesses it and multiplies it, just as he did two thousand years ago. Of course, we see this every time we celebrate the Mass, but it happens in so many other ways as well.
For example, St. John Vianney knew that his mission to stir up love for God in the town of Ars was beyond his ability. And so he did what he could. He prayed for the townspeople, visited their homes, and listened to them. Jesus blessed what Vianney offered, and thousands of nineteenth-century French men and women experienced conversion. As another example, think of Mother Teresa picking up just one dying person and the world seeing Jesus multiply her act of compassion astonishingly.
You too have some small loaf of bread or perhaps a single meager fish to offer Jesus. Instead of focusing on how small it might look, just give it to him. Don’t be afraid to offer it to God even if you think it’s insignificant. Those small things matter—and you never know what the Lord will do with them.
Then start with whatever simple act you can. Spend some extra time praying for conversions. Try to listen more patiently to people. Help someone in need. Along the way, God will refine your understanding of what he wants and teach you how best to serve him. The results won’t be instantaneous; maybe you’ll never see the difference you are making. But just as Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves, you can trust that whatever you offer him, he will give thanks for it, bless it, and multiply it!
“Jesus, I offer you my life and the gifts you have given me. I trust you to multiply all my efforts to serve you.”
1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
Psalm 106:6-7, 19-22
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