This Sunday’s Gospel tells the story of the feeding of the five thousand. This is often considered a foreshadowing of the Eucharist and it gives us insight into what is expected of us when we gather around the Table of the Lord.

In our celebration of the Eucharist we are first nourished ourselves, then by the grace of the Eucharist, we are emboldened to go out into the world to feed others.

We are emboldened to take the living presence of Christ out into the world and share it with all whom we encounter. We are called to go to those who hunger not only for real food but to those who hunger for racial justice and mercy as well…to go to those who hunger for peace and forgiveness; to go to those who hunger for affordable housing and just wages.

The “real presence” has the power to feed the hungers of the world but only if we are willing to share it with the world. We may often feel as though we do not have enough to share because the hunger is so overwhelming. But, just as Jesus took the boy’s five loaves and two fishes and fed thousands, God will take our “lacking” and turn it into abundance, so that all may be fed.

The Eucharist fills us with the very presence of the Risen One and emboldens us to feed those who hunger for asylum and seek a better life in this country and for those who hunger for an end to racism, bigotry and misogyny. Filled with the very presence of the Risen One we can work to heal divisions in our families, our places of work, school and our local communities.

The Eucharist empowers us to do this with love and compassion, so that in the midst of fearful and violent rhetoric we might become the voice of Christ calling all of us to open, honest and compassionate dialogue aimed at healing our divisions. So that through open and compassionate dialogue we might come to see “the other” as sister and brother, as children of God graced with human dignity that needs to be respected and protected at all costs.

What are the “five loaves and two fishes” of my life that I can share with someone who hungers? Who is God calling me to feed today? What conversations am I being called to have with others who hold different views and how can I keep Christ at the center of that conversation to keep the dialogue cordial and inviting?

Blessings,
Fr. Tim

The Gospel of Mark presents a harried, hurried Jesus, constantly on the move from one location to the next. There are stories inside of stories, like the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage which takes place in the midst of another story
about the raising of Jairus’ daughter, Jesus is continually being sought out by people seeking healing.

He is constantly on the move from village to village, preaching and healing and teaching, proclaiming the lavishness of God’s love and forgiveness for all peoples.

Today in the midst of our hurry, Jesus invites us to come away for a while and rest with Him, to bask in His deep and passionate love for us.

By this time in the Gospel of Mark, the disciples had been sent out by Jesus, two by two, to teach and heal and to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and now they have just returned...filled with the Gospel excitement, and Jesus invites them to come away with him for a while and rest.

Whenever I read this passage, I imagine that this time away was meant for the disciples to reflect on what they had experienced and to allow the meaning of it all to settle into their hearts.

There are many references in all four of the Gospels that Jesus often went off to deserted places to pray, to talk to the Father who had sent him. It seems that he was training the disciples to do the same. He knew firsthand the dynamism of the Good News and the energy it took to proclaim it.

And so, like the disciples, we too are invited to “come away with Him for a while and rest.” But this is no easy thing to do in the midst of “our harried and hurried lives”…just think of the 24 hour news cycle that bombards us and assails our sense of justice and Christian ethical behavior across the political and social spectrum of our society. So many of us stand amazed and appalled at the total lack of care and compassion for our fellow human beings being demonstrated not only by our elected officials but by ordinary citizens. Ordinary citizens who feel emboldened to disrespect the human dignity of our sisters and brothers whom they look down upon and believe to not belong here or that someone has less value because of their gender or the color of their skin or their ethnicity and therefore do not deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

In the midst of all of this inhumanity and unchristian activity we are called to action, but like Jesus called the disciples, we too are called to take time “to come away for a while”.

We need to come away and pray in order to keep ourselves centered in Christ. By making time in our day for prayer and
meditation we can keep centered and not be overwhelmed by the vitriol and violence so as not to be paralyzed into non-action.

On the contrary, by remaining centered in Christ through our prayer, meditation and Eucharist we are energized and emboldened and moved to loving action -- reaching out to the victims and to the perpetrators, so we can be a healing presence in the midst of a suffering and wounded world.

When and how often do I step out of the rush of my life to just sit and talk with God and meditate? What insights do I gain? Do I feel refreshed afterwards? What might I change in my schedule, so I can spend more time resting with God?

Blessings,
Fr. Tim

In today’s Gospel Jesus goes home and is not well received by his neighbors and boyhood friends, even though large crowds from other towns and villages followed him around -- he was causing a great commotion throughout the region by his preaching and the miracles he worked.

In spite of the fact that his hometown people were “astonished” by his words, they did not believe in him. Perhaps their familiarity with Jesus and his family blinded them to his awesome power…and their lack of faith prevented Jesus from working great miracles in their presence.

Aware of their lack of acceptance of him, Jesus acknowledged that a prophet is seldom, if ever, accepted in his/ her hometown. Perhaps it was jealousy or fear that kept Jesus’ neighbors and friends from accepting and acknowledging his power and true identity.

Often enough our own insecurities prevent us from rejoicing in the successes of our family and friends…how sad when we cannot rejoice in and raise up the prophets in our midst. Perhaps it is because they challenge us to see things with new eyes; perhaps it is because they challenge us to change how we live our lives!

Being a true disciple of Jesus means that we are all called to live prophetic lives, witnessing to the Gospel through our words and actions in our daily lives…and we, like Jesus, may be rejected in some places by those who refuse the challenge of living a Gospel centered life.

But we need not worry for like God told Paul… “my Grace is sufficient for you”! So we know that God’s grace is indeed sufficient for us to stand up and demand racial equity and justice and fight against bigoted and misogynist actions and words wherever and whenever we see them or hear them. Our discipleship also calls us to be the prophetic voices in the midst of the manmade humanitarian crises around the world, in places like Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Sudan and other war-torn countries. And at our own border! Let us welcome the stranger among us as the sisters and brothers they are.
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Knowing God’s grace is sufficient for us, let us all work for a more peaceful and just society through all we say and do, not just in large conflicts but in the smaller conflicts of our lives between family, friends, coworkers and classmates!

How am I being called to be a prophet in my life? And how do I listen for what word God is calling me to speak and what action to take in my life?
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Blessings,
​Fr. Tim