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. 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 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 and bigotry. And it 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 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 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 -- these are often referred to as “Mark-en sandwiches”. Jesus 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.

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. 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 of our fellow human beings being demonstrated not only by our elected officials but by 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 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 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 and meditation we are energized and emboldened and moved to loving action, reaching out to the victims and to the perpetrators, to be a healing presence in the midst of a hurting and wounded world.

And so for me it raises questions; when was the last time I stepped out of the rush of my life to just sit and pray and meditate, “to come away with the Good Shepherd”? Did I gain any insights, did I feel refreshed afterwards? What do I need to change in my schedule, so I can spend more time resting with God?

Blessings,
Fr Tim