Heed me and you shall eat well

Readings for SUnday, August 3, 2014

 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

It-18-il-Hadd matul is-Sena ‘A’

Messalin A pp 343 

Reading 1               isaiah 55:1-3

Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money,  come, receive grain and eat;  Come, without paying and without cost,  drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread;  your wages for what fails to satisfy?  Heed me, and you shall eat well,  you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully,  listen, that you may have life.  I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,  the benefits assured to David. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari -  mill-Profeta Isaija 55m 1-3

Dan ighid il-Mulej : Intom li bikom il-gћatx,  ejjew gћall-ilma ; intom ukoll li ma gћandkomx flus, ejjew ixtru u kulu b’xejn,  inbid u ћalib bla ћlas.  Gћaliex taћlu fluskom f’dak li mhux ћobż  u ġidkom f’dak li ma jxebbax?  Isimgћu minni u tieklu tajjeb,  u ruћkom  titpaxxa b’ikel bnin.   Agћtuni widien u ersqu lejja,  isimgћu u tieћdu r-ruћ.  Nagћmel patt magћkom gћal dejjem,  Biex iseћu l-favuri mwieigћda  lil David . Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm    psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18

/ (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.            R/

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 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/

Salm Responsorjali      -  Salm 144 (145)

                R/    Mulej, inti ttaffi x-xewqat tagћna.

Twajjeb  u ћanin, il-Mulej,

idum biex jagћdab u kollu tjieba.

Twajjeb ma’ kulhadd  il-Mulej,

u tjubitu fuq  kull ma ghamel.                   R/

Ghajnejn kulhadd iћarsu lejk, Mulej,

u inti  taghtihom l-jkel:f’waqtu.

Int  tiftaћ idek,

u xxabba’  ‘l kulћadd bil-ġid.                                      R/

Ġust il-Mulej fl-imġiba tiegћu kollha,

twajjeb f’dak kollu li gћamel.

Qrib il-Mulej lejn kull min isejjahlu,

lejn kull min isejjahlu fis-sewwa.                             R/

reading 2   romans 8:35, 37-39

Brothers and sisters: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?  No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.   For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,  nor angels, nor principalities,  nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us  from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Qari   - mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 8, 35, 37-39

Huti,  min se jifridna mill-imhabba ta’ Kristu?   It-taћbit,id- dwejjaq,il- persekuzzjoni, l-ġuћ,  l-gћera, it-tiġrib, ix-xabla?  Imma f’dan kollu ahna aktar minn rebbieћa, bis-saћћa ta’ dak li ћabbna.  Gћax jiena żgur li la l-mewt, u la l-ћajja,  la l-angli u la l-qawwiet, la z-zmien t’issa u la li gej,  la s-setghat, la l-gholi u anqas il-fond, u ebda ћlieqa oћra, ma jistgћu qatt jifirduna mill-imћabba ta’ Alla, li dehret   fi Kristu Ġesu’ Sidna. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                 matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,  he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.   The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.  When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,  his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.   When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,  “This is a deserted place and it is already late;  dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages  and buy food for themselves.”   Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;  give them some food yourselves.”  But they said to him,  “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”   Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”  and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.   Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,  he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples,  who in turn gave them to the crowds.   They all ate and were satisfied,  and they picked up the fragments left over—  twelve wicker baskets full.   Those who ate were about five thousand men,  not counting women and children. This is the Word of the Lord.
L-Evangelju  -   San Mattew14,  13-21

F’dak iz-zmien, meta sema’ l-aћbar tal-mewt ta’ Ġwanni l-Battista,  Ġesu’ telaq minn hemm bid-dgћajsa u mar waћdu f’post imwarrab. Imma n-nies semgћu fejn mar,  u telqu warajh bil-mixi mill-ibliet.  Xћin niżel l-art mid-dghajsa ra kotra kbira ta’ nies u tћassarhom u  fejqilhom il-morda tagћhom.  Xhin sar filgћaxija d-dixxipli tiegћu  resqu lejh u qalulu : “Dan post imwarrab,  u l-ћin ghamel sewwa.   Ibghathom lin-nies, ћa jmorru fl-irћula jixtru x’jieklu.”  Imma Gesu’ qalilhom:  “Ma gћandhomx gћalfejn imorru;   agћtuhom intom x’jieklu.”  U huma qalulu:  “Hawn ma gћandniex ћlief ћames ћobżiet u żewġ  ћutiet.  “Gibhomli hawn,”  qalilhom.  Imbaghad ordna lin-nies biex  joqoghdu bilqieghda fuq il-ћaxix;   ћa l-ћames ћobżiet u ż-żewġ  hutiet,  rafa’ gћajnejh lejn is-sema, bierek, qasam   il-ћobżiet u tahom lid-dixxipli, u d-dixxipli newluhom lin-nies.  U kulћadd kiel u xaba’;  u ġabru l-bćejjeć li kien  fadal u mlew  bihom tnax-il qoffa.   U kienu madwar ћamest elef ragel dawk li   kielu, barra min-nisa u t-tfal.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Commentary by Pontifical Household Preacher

Father Cantalamessa on the Multiplying the Loaves

All Were Satisfied

One day Jesus withdrew in a boat to a lonely place apart, on the Sea of Galilee. But when he went ashore, he saw a great multitude awaiting him, "and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick."  He spoke to them of the kingdom of God. Meanwhile night began to fall. The Apostles suggested that he send the crowds away, to go into the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus surprised them, saying in a voice so that all could hear: "You give them something to eat!"  Disconcerted, the disciples responded: "We have only five loaves here and two fish!" Jesus ordered that they bring them to him. Then he ordered all to sit down. He took the five loaves and the two fish, prayed, gave thanks to the Father, and then ordered that they be distributed to the crowds.  "They all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over." There were five thousand men, not counting the women and children, says the Gospel. It was the most joyful picnic in the world.

What does this Gospel passage teach us? First, that Jesus is concerned and "feels compassion" for the whole man, body and soul. Jesus distributes the word to souls, and cures and nourishes bodies. One could, therefore, object: Why doesn't he do so also today? Why doesn't he multiply bread for so many millions of hungry in the world?   The Gospel of the multiplication of the loaves has a detail that can help us find the answer. Jesus did not click his fingers and make loaves and fish appear as though by magic. He asked his disciples what they had; he invited them to share the little they had: five loaves and two fish.   

He does the same today. He asks that we share in common the resources of the earth. It is well known that, at least from the point of view of food, our earth would be capable of sustaining billions more human beings than those existing at present. But how can we accuse God of not providing sufficient bread for all, when every year we destroy millions of tons of food supplies, which we call "surplus," so as not to lower prices? A better distribution is necessary, greater solidarity and sharing: therein is the solution. 

I know: It's not so simple. There is the craze for armaments; there are irresponsible rulers who contribute to maintain many populations in hunger. But part of the responsibility also falls on the rich countries. We are now that anonymous person (a boy, according to one of the evangelists) who has five loaves and two fish; except that we hold them tightly and take care not to share them among all. 

By the way it is described -- "and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples" -- the multiplication of the loaves and the fish has always made one think of the multiplication of that other bread which is the body of Christ. Because of this the most ancient representations of the Eucharist show us a basket with five loaves and, on the sides, two fish, as the mosaic discovered in Tabga, in Palestine, in the church erected in the place of the

multiplication of the loaves, or in the fresco of the Catacombs of St. Priscilla. 

In fact, what we are also doing at present is a multiplication of the loaves -- the bread of the word of God. I have broken the bread of the word and the press (and the internet) has multiplied my words, so that more than five thousand men, also this time, have eaten and are satisfied. A task remains: "to take up the pieces left over," to have the word also reach those who have not participated in the banquet -- to become "repeaters" and witnesses of the message. 

[Italian original published in Famiglia Cristiana. Translation by ZENIT]