The most joyous picnic in the history of the world!

« Sunday, August 2, 2020 » 

Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time / Lectionary: 112 

It-Tmintax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

 

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. 

Qari I      mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 55, 1-3

Dan jgħid il-Mulej: “Intom li bikom l-għatx, ejjew għall-ilma, intom ukoll li m’għandkomx flus. Ejjew, ixtru u kulu b’xejn, inbid u ħalib bla ħlas. Għaliex taħlu fluskom f’dak li mhuwiex ħobż, u ġidkom f’dak li ma jxebbax? Isimgħu minni, u tieklu tajjeb, u ruħkom titpaxxa b’ikel bnin. Agħtuni widen u ersqu lejja, isimgħu u tieħdu r-ruħ. Nagħmel patt magħkom għal dejjem, biex iseħħu l-favuri mwiegħda lil David”. 

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

The LORD is gracious and merciful, sow to anger and of great kindness. The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. 

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 hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. 

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. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Salm Responsorjali         Salm 144 (145), 8-9.15-16.17-18

R/. (ara 16): Mulej, inti ttaffi x-xewqat tagħna. 

Twajjeb u ħanin il-Mulej, idum biex jagħdab u kollu tjieba. Twajjeb ma’ kulħadd il-Mulej, tjubitu fuq kull ma għamel. R/. 

Għajnejn kulħadd iħarsu lejk, Mulej, u inti tagħtihom l-ikel f’waqtu. Int tiftaħ idek, u xxabba’ ’l kulħadd bil-ġid. R/. 

Ġust il-Mulej fl-imġiba tiegħu kollha, twajjeb f’dak kollu li għamel. Qrib il-Mulej lejn kull min isejjaħlu, lejn kull min isejjaħlu 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. 

Qari II        mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 8, 35.37-39

 Ħuti, min se jifridna mill-imħabba ta’ Kristu? It-taħbit, id-dwejjaq, il-persekuzzjoni, il-ġuħ, l-għera, it-tiġrib, ix-xabla? Imma f’dan kollu aħna aktar minn rebbieħa bis-saħħa ta’ dak li ħabbna. Għax jiena żgur li la l-mewt u la l-ħajja, la l-anġli u la l-qawwiet, la ż-żmien t’issa u la ta’ li ġej, la setgħat, la l-għoli u lanqas il-fond, u ebda ħliqa oħra ma jistgħu qatt jifirduna mill-imħabba ta’ Alla li dehret fi Kristu Ġesù 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. 

Evanġelju  Qari skond San Mattew 14, 13-21

F’dak iż-żmien, meta sama’ l-aħbar tal-mewt ta’ Ġwanni l-Battista, Ġesù telaq minn hemm bid-dgħajsa u mar waħdu f’post imwarrab. Imma n-nies semgħu fejn mar, u telqu warajh bil-mixi mill-ibliet. Xħin niżel l-art mid-dgħajsa ra kotra kbira ta’ nies u tħassarhom, u fejqilhom il-morda tagħhom. Xħin sar filgħaxija d-dixxipli tiegħu resqu lejh u qalulu: “Dan post imwarrab, u l-ħin għamel sewwa. Ibgħathom lin-nies, ħa jmorru fl-irħula jixtru x’jieklu”. Imma Ġesù qalilhom: “Ma għandhomx għalfejn imorru; agħtuhom intom x’jieklu”. U huma qalulu: “Hawn ma għandniex ħlief ħames ħobżiet u żewġ ħutiet”. “Ġibuhomli hawn”, qalilhom. Imbagħad ordna lin-nies biex joqogħdu bilqiegħda fuq il-ħaxix; ħa l-ħames ħobżiet u ż-żewġ ħutiet, rafa’ għajnejh lejn is-sema, bierek, qasam il-ħobżiet u tahom lid-dixxipli, u d-dixxipli newluhom lin-nies. U kulħadd kiel u xaba’, u ġabru l-bċejjeċ li kien fadal u mlew bihom tnax-il qoffa. U kienu madwar ħamest elef raġel dawk li kielu, barra n-nisa u t-tfal. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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They All Ate and Were Satisfied 

Gospel Commentary by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap, Pontifical Household Preacher

 One day Jesus was on his way to a solitary place along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  The Gospel of Matthew tells the story: “But when he disembarked he found that a large crowd was waiting for him. 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.” 

It was the most joyous picnic in the history of the world!   What does this Gospel tell us? 

     First, that Jesus was worried and “his heart was moved with pity” for the whole man, body and soul. He distributes the word to the soul, and to the body he offers healing and food. You will say: So why doesn’t he still do that today? Why doesn’t he multiply bread for the many millions who are starving on the earth?

   There is a detail in this Gospel that can help us to find the answer to these questions. Jesus does not snap his fingers and bread and fish appear magically at will. He asked his disciples what they had; he invited them to share what they had: five loaves of bread and two fish. 

   Jesus does the same today. He asks us to share the resources of the earth. It is well known, at least in regard to food, that our earth would be able to support more than a billion more people than presently inhabit the earth. 

   So how can we accuse God of not furnishing enough bread for everyone when every year we destroy millions of tons of food supplies -- which we say we have “too much” of -- so as to prevent food prices from falling? What is the solution? Better distribution, greater solidarity and more sharing.

    I know, it’s not that easy. There is the mania for weapons, there are irresponsible government leaders who keep many people hungry. But part of the responsibility is on the shoulders of the rich countries. We are that anonymous person -- a boy, according to one of the evangelists -- who has five loaves of bread and two fish; it is only that we hold onto them and are careful with them lest they be shared with everyone. 

   Because of the way in which it is described -- “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" -- the multiplication of the loaves and fish has always made us think of the multiplication of that other bread, which is the body of Christ. 

   For this reason the most antique representations of the Eucharist are of a basket containing loaves of bread and, on the sides, two fish, like the mosaic discovered in Tabga in Palestine, in the church erected on the site of the multiplication of the loaves, or in the famous fresco in the catacombs of Priscilla. 

   At bottom, even that which we are doing in this moment with this commentary is a multiplication of loaves -- the loaves of bread of the word of God. I have broken open the bread of the word and the Internet has multiplied my words -- but many more than 5,000 men, even this time, have eaten and are satisfied. 

   There remains this task: “picking up the fragments left over,” and bringing them also to those who did not participate in the banquet. We must be “repeaters” and witnesses of the message.   [Translation from the Italian original by Zenit]

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