Suy
Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy Tuần thứ 5 Thường Niên.
Những phép lạ mà đáng kể nhất mà Chúa Giêsu đã làm là những phép là mà Chúa đã làm cho kẻ chết được sống lại. Và có lẽ một phép lạ ngoạn mục nhất là Chúa đã làm cho ông Lazarus sống lại sau khi đã chết và dã được chôn trong mồ bốn ngày. Chúa Giêsu gọi :"Lazarus hãy chỗi dậy và ra khỏi mồ." Lazarus đã bừng dậy từ trong bóng tối và đi vào ánh sáng, lao đảo nhảy từng bước với tất cả quần áo niệm đang quấn quanh người. Và Chúa Giêsu đã ra lệnh cho những người đi theo tháo gỡ vải tang quấn quanh người anh ta để cho anh ta được mở trói và tự do.
Những phép lạ về sự hoá bánh ra nhiều mặt khác đã làm vì chạnh lòng Thiên Chúa tối cao trong cương vị bản chất con người của Chúa Kitô. Chúa Giêsu, người mà có thể an chay, nhịn đói trong bốn mười (40) ngày và không nghĩ đén cái đói, thế mà có lòng từ bi, thương hại đến những người theo Chúa trong ba ngày liền mà không có gì không có gì để ăn. Không thể tìm được thứ gì cò thể ăn được trong vùng sa mặc chỉ có cát, đá, gai và cái nắng cháy người ban ngày và cái lạnh ban đêm.
Nếu Chúa Giêsu có thể làm cho người chết được sống lại, có thể làm cho bánh và cá hoá ra nhiều để nuôi sống hơn bốn ngàn (4.000) nggười, có thể chữa lành vô số người đau bệnh cả tinh thần lẫn thể xác, Thì những gì khác mà Ngài có thể làm để cho chúng ta tin vào Ngài? Thế thì những gì có thể thuyết phục chúng ta rằng là cầu xin với Ngài thì Ngài sẽ mang lại những phép lạ lớn nhỏ đến với cuộc sống của chúng ta? Hãy lắng nghe những gì Chúa hứa: ".: tất cả những gì anh em cầu nguyện và xin, anh em cứ tin là mình đã được rồi, thì sẽ được như ý" (Mk 11:24)
REFLECTION
The most dramatic miracles performed by Jesus are those where he raises the dead to life. And perhaps the most awesome of all is the miracle of Lazarus. Arriving at the site when Lazarus was four days in his tomb, Jesus calls "Lazarus come out." Lazarus emerges from the darkness into the light, tottering with all his grave clothes wound about him. And Jesus orders the mourners, "Unwrap him and let him go!"
The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves on the other hand touches on the supreme humanity of Christ. Jesus, who could fast for as long as 40 days and not mind hunger, has compassion for those without food for three days. There was nowhere in the desert to find food and the shades of night where the beginning to fall.
Against the scoffing of his disciples, He raises His eyes to His Father and makes a miracle happen. This time, the miracle is to sustain life, feeding 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.
If Jesus can raise the dead to life, can multiply bread and fish to feed 4,000, can heal countless afflictions, what else can touch us to believe in him? What can convince us that praying to him will bring small and big miracles into our lives? Listen to what the Lord promises: "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it. And it will be yours."
Saturday of the
Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
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.” Mark 8:1–3
Early in Jesus’ public ministry, He made a brief trip across the Sea of Galilee to the territory of the Gerasenes—a largely Gentile and pagan town on the outskirts of the Decapolis. This journey was significant, as it demonstrated Jesus’ intention to extend His mission beyond the boundaries of Jewish territory, foreshadowing the universal scope of salvation that would later be fully realized through the Church’s apostolic mission.
When Jesus arrived on shore in the territory of the Gerasenes, He freed a man possessed by “Legion,” meaning many demons, and sent the demons into a herd of two thousand swine, who drowned themselves in the sea. Although this was the only recorded act Jesus performed during that initial visit, it caused quite a commotion. When the swineherds saw this, they ran and reported the incident to the nearby town, and people came to see it for themselves. Stunned by what had happened, they asked Jesus to leave, and He did. However, “the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed” (Mark 5:20).
That brief trip into the Gentile and pagan territory of the Decapolis planted a seed. The loss of two thousand swine undoubtedly affected the people, but it also planted the seed more deeply. Which was more important: one man possessed by a legion of demons or two thousand swine? Jesus’ actions reveal the answer. As word spread of His miraculous deliverance and authority over demons, many Gentiles became curious.
That brief miracle set the stage for today’s Gospel when Jesus returned to the Decapolis to nurture the seed He had planted. Upon His return, He cured a deaf and mute man, symbolizing the importance of hearing and proclaiming the Gospel. Afterwards, Jesus drew a great crowd, who remained with Him for three days despite having no food.
After three days, Jesus revealed His compassionate heart to the Twelve: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.” Jesus then tested the Twelve, observing, “If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” This situation should have been familiar to the Twelve. Earlier in His ministry, while in Jewish territory, Jesus had fed five thousand men with only five loaves and two fish. But now they were in Gentile territory, and instead of understanding that Jesus’ same providence extended to these pagans, the disciples said to Him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Once again, Jesus performed a miracle and fed four thousand.
Reflect today on the universality of Jesus’ mission. His compassionate care transcended cultural and religious boundaries, offering physical and spiritual nourishment to all who sought Him. Jesus’ same mission continues today through us, the members of His Body, the Church. We must never become self-enclosed in our own communities of faith and family. Instead, we are called to go out into the world, to the “pagan” regions where people hunger for God’s Word. Sometimes our mission is to plant a seed; at other times, it is to nurture the seed by helping it grow through the grace of God, so that everyone may come to know and love Him. Ultimately, the feeding of the five thousand Jews and four thousand Gentiles points to the universal call for all to share in the Eucharistic banquet. Learn the lesson Jesus taught the Twelve, and imitate our Lord’s merciful heart, filled with compassion for those who need Him the most.
My generous Lord, You desire all people to come to know You and to be saved. Free me from any hesitancy or fear in sharing Your saving Truth with those who need it most. Grant me the wisdom to discern when to plant the seed, when to nurture it, and when to harvest. Use me as Your instrument to draw others into the fullness of life, where they may share in Your Eucharistic banquet of grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday of the
Fifth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are all-powerful and can take the little I offer and transform it into something great for your Kingdom. Help me to see the material and spiritual needs of those around me so that I may, like your Son, respond to them.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Jesus’ Heart: In the Gospel, we read about the second bread miracle. The first miracle took place in the region of Galilee, in the land of ancient Israel. The second miracle took place in Gentile territory. In both miracles, Jesus heart was moved: “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34); “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat” (Mark 8:1). In both miracles, Jesus doesn’t want to send the crowds away and notes how they were in a deserted place. In the first miracle, Jesus could have sent the people to the surrounding farms and villages to buy food, but he chose not to. In the second, the people were very far from their homes and would collapse on the way if they were sent to find food. Jesus is fully aware that he is the Word of Life and the Bread of Life and that he can provide what the people most need.
2. Bread for the Gentiles: When Mark recounts the miracle of the loaves for the 5,000 in Israel, he points out that the bread left over was gathered in 12 Jewish-style small wicker baskets (kophinos). And when he narrates the miracle of the loaves for the 4,000 in Gentile territory, he points out that the bread left over was gathered into 7 Gentile-style large rope-baskets (spuridas). Not only do the different words for basket indicate that one miracle happened in Israel and one happened in Gentile territory, but also the numbers are highly symbolic of the difference. Five and twelve refer to the Five Books of Moses (the Torah) and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Four and seven refer to the four corners of the world and the covenant with all creation. Between the two miracles, Jesus has a discussion with the Pharisees from Jerusalem about their traditions, abrogates the Law of Moses about dietary restrictions and declares all foods clean, and performs miracles for two Gentiles. By recounting the two miracles of bread, one for Israel and one for the Gentiles, Mark prepares his readers for the climactic bread event: the gift of the Eucharistic bread at the Last Supper for all peoples. “Ultimately, the bread signifies the passion and glory of the Son of Man, who will give his life for us as spiritual food (Mark 14:22)” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 124).
3. The Eucharist and the Path of Discipleship: The Gospel today employs a significant phrase, “on the way.” The next major section in Mark’s Gospel will employ it five times (Mark 8:27; 9:33; 9:34; 10:32, and 10:52). The theme of the next section is discipleship and Jesus’ upcoming passion, death, and resurrection in Jerusalem. The phrase, “on the way,” means “the path of discipleship.” “When disciples and others in Mark’s Gospel are ‘on the way’ with Jesus, their literal walking ‘on the way’ in the story is a spiritual figure for the path of discipleship for all Christians. Gentiles, then, are also called to be Jesus’s followers, joining him on the path of discipleship” (Huizenga, Loosing the Lion, 185). By using the phrase now, in the Bread Section, Mark is indicating that discipleship draws its strength from the Eucharist. “On a literal level, then, Jesus must feed their bellies so that they will not faint on the way. On a spiritual level, Jesus must feed our bodies and souls with the Eucharist so that we will not faint while following him on the path of discipleship. The Eucharist feeds discipleship” (Huizenga, Loosing the Lion, 185).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you gave yourself for all peoples. You held nothing back and became an abundant gift of grace for all nations. Nourish me with the Bread of Life and guide me with your everlasting word.
Saturday of the
Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
“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.” Mark 8:2–3
Jesus’ primary mission was a spiritual one. He came to set us free from the effects of sin so that we could enter the glories of Heaven for all eternity. His life, death and resurrection destroyed death itself and opened the way for all who turn to Him to be saved. But Jesus’ love for the people was so complete that He was also attentive to their physical needs.
First of all, ponder the first line of this statement of our Lord above: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd…” Jesus’ divine love was intertwined with His humanity. He loved the entire person, body and soul. In this Gospel story, the people were with Him for three days and they were hungry, but they were showing no signs of leaving. They had become so amazed by our Lord that they didn’t want to leave. Jesus pointed out that their hunger was serious. If He sent them away, He feared that they would “collapse on the way.” Thus, these facts are the basis for His miracle.
One lesson we can learn from this story is that of our priorities in life. Oftentimes, we may tend to have our priorities reversed. Of course, taking care of the necessities of life is important. We need food, shelter, clothing and the like. We need to care for our families and provide for their basic needs. But too often we elevate these basic necessities in life over our spiritual need to love and serve Christ, as if the two were opposed to each other. But that’s not the case.
In this Gospel, the people who were with Jesus chose to put their faith first. They chose to remain with Jesus despite the fact that they did not have food to eat. Perhaps some people had left a day or two earlier, deciding that the necessity of food took precedence. But those who may have done this missed out on the incredible gift of this miracle in which the entire crowd was fed to the point of being completely satisfied. Of course, our Lord does not want us to be irresponsible, especially if we have a duty to care for others. But this story does tell us that our spiritual need to be fed by the Word of God should always be our greatest concern. When we put Christ first, all other needs are met in accord with His providence.
Reflect, today, upon your own priorities in life. What’s more important to you? Your next good meal? Or your life of faith? Though these do not have to be opposed to each other, it’s important to always put your love of God first in life. Ponder this vast crowd of people who spent three days with Jesus in the wilderness without food and try to see yourself with them. Make their choice to remain with Jesus your choice also, so that your love of God becomes the primary focus of your life.
My providential Lord, You know my every need and are concerned for every aspect of my life. Help me to trust You so completely that I always put my love of You as my first priority in life. I do believe that if I can keep You and Your will as the most important part of my life, all other necessities in life will fall in place. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2025
1. Jesus’ Heart: In the Gospel, we read about the second bread miracle. The first miracle took place in the region of Galilee, in the land of ancient Israel. The second miracle took place in Gentile territory. In both miracles, Jesus heart was moved: “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34); “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat” (Mark 8:1). In both miracles, Jesus doesn’t want to send the crowds away and notes how they were in a deserted place. In the first miracle, Jesus could have sent the people to the surrounding farms and villages to buy food, but he chose not to. In the second, the people were very far from their homes and would collapse on the way if they were sent to find food. Jesus is fully aware that he is the Word of Life and the Bread of Life and that he can provide what the people most need.
Saturday 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Jesus Sees our Humanity: This must have happened often in the three years of Jesus’ public ministry—that he spent such a long time preaching and teaching a crowd that they had eaten all the snacks they brought for the road trip. Hunger turned to hanger—for the apostles, too, perhaps. And Jesus was not insensitive to this. Perhaps in this time of prayer, we want to linger with this truth: there is no aspect of our humanity to which Jesus is insensitive. Everything about our lives matters to him because it matters to us. Pondering with the Holy Spirit, is there any particular aspect of our life, even so human and mundane as hunger, which the Lord invites us to present to him? Let us be confident that he will receive it in love, and act as he sees best.
REFLECTION
The Gospels often use that strong anatomical verb on Jesus. His bowels "stirred with compassion." Time and again Jesus was touched (stirred with compassion) - touched with pity, with compassion, for all kinds of human suffering - for a crowd of thousands that had stayed with him three days and had nothing to eat: "I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."(Mark 8:2-3) His bowels "stirred with compassion" for all kinds of sick people who had followed him to a lonely place; for a widow whose only son died before her eyes.
The father of an epileptic appealed to the "bowels of [his] compassion" to help his foaming, convulsing son. And in today's Gospel, Jesus' bowels "stirred with compassion" for a leper in the dust crying, "If you will, you can make me clean." But that is only half of the picture. When touched, what did Jesus do? When touched, he touches. When the bowels of his compassion are stirred, he reaches out, he touches the hand of a dead 12-year old girl (Mark 5:41), the hand of Peter's mother-in-law suffering from fever (Mark 1:31), the epileptic boy (Mark 9:27), the eyes of two blind men outside Jericho (Matt. 20:34), the ears and tongue of a deaf man with speech impediment (Mark 7:33), the right ear of the high priest's slave cut off by Peter, the poor swordsman (Luke 22:51). All these he touched. When Peter was sinking in the sea,
Jesus "reached out his hand and caught him." (Matt. 14:28-31) He not only bless the children, he "took them in his arms." At the Last Supper he lovingly washed the feet of his disciples (John 13:4-5). One of the things that stand out in the Gospels is that Jesus was a man of compassion. He certainly could feel with, identify himself
with the suffering people. In today's Gospel a leper is somebody everybody will avoid - even today.
It is here that we see the compassion of Jesus. His bowel stirred with compassion. He not only healed the leper, but he reached out and touched him - a gesture of love and caring, even if this touching would render Jesus him legally "unclean" for temple worship. Have you ever felt the touch of Jesus upon you? Try to take a moment to feel the healing touch of Jesus on your head or on your shoulder. Feel him embracing you in his love. Hear his words, "Your sins are forgiven. Be made clean." "Open your eyes, your ears, and your tongue. Stand and walk." Touch has many faces. There is the touch of the terrorist: cold, cruel, and destructive. There is the touch of the rapist and serial killer: secret, lustful, and pathological. There is the touch of the swindler: smooth, cunning, and deceptive. And there is the touch of someone who cares: at once strong and gentle, the kind of touch that brings healing and peace - the touch of Christ. To be effective, touch does not have to be physical. Skin touches skin is powerful beyond compare if... if it is a symbol, if it says something like, "I care" or "I'm sorry" or "I love you." But whether you make skin contact or not is not always important; what is important always is that you are reaching out. It is hearts that have to touch, even when hands do not.
Give yourself! Follow Christ in his compassion. Walk the same old Jericho Road, but now with eyes open, heart outstretched. Time and again you'll come upon someone - friend, enemy, stranger - someone who calls to you weakly - for a little of your life, a touch of your heart. If you hear that silent cry, try not to pass by on the other side. That silent cry ... it just might be Jesus.
Những phép lạ mà đáng kể nhất mà Chúa Giêsu đã làm là những phép là mà Chúa đã làm cho kẻ chết được sống lại. Và có lẽ một phép lạ ngoạn mục nhất là Chúa đã làm cho ông Lazarus sống lại sau khi đã chết và dã được chôn trong mồ bốn ngày. Chúa Giêsu gọi :"Lazarus hãy chỗi dậy và ra khỏi mồ." Lazarus đã bừng dậy từ trong bóng tối và đi vào ánh sáng, lao đảo nhảy từng bước với tất cả quần áo niệm đang quấn quanh người. Và Chúa Giêsu đã ra lệnh cho những người đi theo tháo gỡ vải tang quấn quanh người anh ta để cho anh ta được mở trói và tự do.
Những phép lạ về sự hoá bánh ra nhiều mặt khác đã làm vì chạnh lòng Thiên Chúa tối cao trong cương vị bản chất con người của Chúa Kitô. Chúa Giêsu, người mà có thể an chay, nhịn đói trong bốn mười (40) ngày và không nghĩ đén cái đói, thế mà có lòng từ bi, thương hại đến những người theo Chúa trong ba ngày liền mà không có gì không có gì để ăn. Không thể tìm được thứ gì cò thể ăn được trong vùng sa mặc chỉ có cát, đá, gai và cái nắng cháy người ban ngày và cái lạnh ban đêm.
Nếu Chúa Giêsu có thể làm cho người chết được sống lại, có thể làm cho bánh và cá hoá ra nhiều để nuôi sống hơn bốn ngàn (4.000) nggười, có thể chữa lành vô số người đau bệnh cả tinh thần lẫn thể xác, Thì những gì khác mà Ngài có thể làm để cho chúng ta tin vào Ngài? Thế thì những gì có thể thuyết phục chúng ta rằng là cầu xin với Ngài thì Ngài sẽ mang lại những phép lạ lớn nhỏ đến với cuộc sống của chúng ta? Hãy lắng nghe những gì Chúa hứa: ".: tất cả những gì anh em cầu nguyện và xin, anh em cứ tin là mình đã được rồi, thì sẽ được như ý" (Mk 11:24)
The most dramatic miracles performed by Jesus are those where he raises the dead to life. And perhaps the most awesome of all is the miracle of Lazarus. Arriving at the site when Lazarus was four days in his tomb, Jesus calls "Lazarus come out." Lazarus emerges from the darkness into the light, tottering with all his grave clothes wound about him. And Jesus orders the mourners, "Unwrap him and let him go!"
The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves on the other hand touches on the supreme humanity of Christ. Jesus, who could fast for as long as 40 days and not mind hunger, has compassion for those without food for three days. There was nowhere in the desert to find food and the shades of night where the beginning to fall.
Against the scoffing of his disciples, He raises His eyes to His Father and makes a miracle happen. This time, the miracle is to sustain life, feeding 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.
If Jesus can raise the dead to life, can multiply bread and fish to feed 4,000, can heal countless afflictions, what else can touch us to believe in him? What can convince us that praying to him will bring small and big miracles into our lives? Listen to what the Lord promises: "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it. And it will be yours."
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.” Mark 8:1–3
Early in Jesus’ public ministry, He made a brief trip across the Sea of Galilee to the territory of the Gerasenes—a largely Gentile and pagan town on the outskirts of the Decapolis. This journey was significant, as it demonstrated Jesus’ intention to extend His mission beyond the boundaries of Jewish territory, foreshadowing the universal scope of salvation that would later be fully realized through the Church’s apostolic mission.
When Jesus arrived on shore in the territory of the Gerasenes, He freed a man possessed by “Legion,” meaning many demons, and sent the demons into a herd of two thousand swine, who drowned themselves in the sea. Although this was the only recorded act Jesus performed during that initial visit, it caused quite a commotion. When the swineherds saw this, they ran and reported the incident to the nearby town, and people came to see it for themselves. Stunned by what had happened, they asked Jesus to leave, and He did. However, “the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed” (Mark 5:20).
That brief trip into the Gentile and pagan territory of the Decapolis planted a seed. The loss of two thousand swine undoubtedly affected the people, but it also planted the seed more deeply. Which was more important: one man possessed by a legion of demons or two thousand swine? Jesus’ actions reveal the answer. As word spread of His miraculous deliverance and authority over demons, many Gentiles became curious.
That brief miracle set the stage for today’s Gospel when Jesus returned to the Decapolis to nurture the seed He had planted. Upon His return, He cured a deaf and mute man, symbolizing the importance of hearing and proclaiming the Gospel. Afterwards, Jesus drew a great crowd, who remained with Him for three days despite having no food.
After three days, Jesus revealed His compassionate heart to the Twelve: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.” Jesus then tested the Twelve, observing, “If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” This situation should have been familiar to the Twelve. Earlier in His ministry, while in Jewish territory, Jesus had fed five thousand men with only five loaves and two fish. But now they were in Gentile territory, and instead of understanding that Jesus’ same providence extended to these pagans, the disciples said to Him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Once again, Jesus performed a miracle and fed four thousand.
Reflect today on the universality of Jesus’ mission. His compassionate care transcended cultural and religious boundaries, offering physical and spiritual nourishment to all who sought Him. Jesus’ same mission continues today through us, the members of His Body, the Church. We must never become self-enclosed in our own communities of faith and family. Instead, we are called to go out into the world, to the “pagan” regions where people hunger for God’s Word. Sometimes our mission is to plant a seed; at other times, it is to nurture the seed by helping it grow through the grace of God, so that everyone may come to know and love Him. Ultimately, the feeding of the five thousand Jews and four thousand Gentiles points to the universal call for all to share in the Eucharistic banquet. Learn the lesson Jesus taught the Twelve, and imitate our Lord’s merciful heart, filled with compassion for those who need Him the most.
My generous Lord, You desire all people to come to know You and to be saved. Free me from any hesitancy or fear in sharing Your saving Truth with those who need it most. Grant me the wisdom to discern when to plant the seed, when to nurture it, and when to harvest. Use me as Your instrument to draw others into the fullness of life, where they may share in Your Eucharistic banquet of grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are all-powerful and can take the little I offer and transform it into something great for your Kingdom. Help me to see the material and spiritual needs of those around me so that I may, like your Son, respond to them.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Jesus’ Heart: In the Gospel, we read about the second bread miracle. The first miracle took place in the region of Galilee, in the land of ancient Israel. The second miracle took place in Gentile territory. In both miracles, Jesus heart was moved: “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34); “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat” (Mark 8:1). In both miracles, Jesus doesn’t want to send the crowds away and notes how they were in a deserted place. In the first miracle, Jesus could have sent the people to the surrounding farms and villages to buy food, but he chose not to. In the second, the people were very far from their homes and would collapse on the way if they were sent to find food. Jesus is fully aware that he is the Word of Life and the Bread of Life and that he can provide what the people most need.
2. Bread for the Gentiles: When Mark recounts the miracle of the loaves for the 5,000 in Israel, he points out that the bread left over was gathered in 12 Jewish-style small wicker baskets (kophinos). And when he narrates the miracle of the loaves for the 4,000 in Gentile territory, he points out that the bread left over was gathered into 7 Gentile-style large rope-baskets (spuridas). Not only do the different words for basket indicate that one miracle happened in Israel and one happened in Gentile territory, but also the numbers are highly symbolic of the difference. Five and twelve refer to the Five Books of Moses (the Torah) and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Four and seven refer to the four corners of the world and the covenant with all creation. Between the two miracles, Jesus has a discussion with the Pharisees from Jerusalem about their traditions, abrogates the Law of Moses about dietary restrictions and declares all foods clean, and performs miracles for two Gentiles. By recounting the two miracles of bread, one for Israel and one for the Gentiles, Mark prepares his readers for the climactic bread event: the gift of the Eucharistic bread at the Last Supper for all peoples. “Ultimately, the bread signifies the passion and glory of the Son of Man, who will give his life for us as spiritual food (Mark 14:22)” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 124).
3. The Eucharist and the Path of Discipleship: The Gospel today employs a significant phrase, “on the way.” The next major section in Mark’s Gospel will employ it five times (Mark 8:27; 9:33; 9:34; 10:32, and 10:52). The theme of the next section is discipleship and Jesus’ upcoming passion, death, and resurrection in Jerusalem. The phrase, “on the way,” means “the path of discipleship.” “When disciples and others in Mark’s Gospel are ‘on the way’ with Jesus, their literal walking ‘on the way’ in the story is a spiritual figure for the path of discipleship for all Christians. Gentiles, then, are also called to be Jesus’s followers, joining him on the path of discipleship” (Huizenga, Loosing the Lion, 185). By using the phrase now, in the Bread Section, Mark is indicating that discipleship draws its strength from the Eucharist. “On a literal level, then, Jesus must feed their bellies so that they will not faint on the way. On a spiritual level, Jesus must feed our bodies and souls with the Eucharist so that we will not faint while following him on the path of discipleship. The Eucharist feeds discipleship” (Huizenga, Loosing the Lion, 185).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you gave yourself for all peoples. You held nothing back and became an abundant gift of grace for all nations. Nourish me with the Bread of Life and guide me with your everlasting word.
“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.” Mark 8:2–3
Jesus’ primary mission was a spiritual one. He came to set us free from the effects of sin so that we could enter the glories of Heaven for all eternity. His life, death and resurrection destroyed death itself and opened the way for all who turn to Him to be saved. But Jesus’ love for the people was so complete that He was also attentive to their physical needs.
First of all, ponder the first line of this statement of our Lord above: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd…” Jesus’ divine love was intertwined with His humanity. He loved the entire person, body and soul. In this Gospel story, the people were with Him for three days and they were hungry, but they were showing no signs of leaving. They had become so amazed by our Lord that they didn’t want to leave. Jesus pointed out that their hunger was serious. If He sent them away, He feared that they would “collapse on the way.” Thus, these facts are the basis for His miracle.
One lesson we can learn from this story is that of our priorities in life. Oftentimes, we may tend to have our priorities reversed. Of course, taking care of the necessities of life is important. We need food, shelter, clothing and the like. We need to care for our families and provide for their basic needs. But too often we elevate these basic necessities in life over our spiritual need to love and serve Christ, as if the two were opposed to each other. But that’s not the case.
In this Gospel, the people who were with Jesus chose to put their faith first. They chose to remain with Jesus despite the fact that they did not have food to eat. Perhaps some people had left a day or two earlier, deciding that the necessity of food took precedence. But those who may have done this missed out on the incredible gift of this miracle in which the entire crowd was fed to the point of being completely satisfied. Of course, our Lord does not want us to be irresponsible, especially if we have a duty to care for others. But this story does tell us that our spiritual need to be fed by the Word of God should always be our greatest concern. When we put Christ first, all other needs are met in accord with His providence.
Reflect, today, upon your own priorities in life. What’s more important to you? Your next good meal? Or your life of faith? Though these do not have to be opposed to each other, it’s important to always put your love of God first in life. Ponder this vast crowd of people who spent three days with Jesus in the wilderness without food and try to see yourself with them. Make their choice to remain with Jesus your choice also, so that your love of God becomes the primary focus of your life.
My providential Lord, You know my every need and are concerned for every aspect of my life. Help me to trust You so completely that I always put my love of You as my first priority in life. I do believe that if I can keep You and Your will as the most important part of my life, all other necessities in life will fall in place. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. Jesus’ Heart: In the Gospel, we read about the second bread miracle. The first miracle took place in the region of Galilee, in the land of ancient Israel. The second miracle took place in Gentile territory. In both miracles, Jesus heart was moved: “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34); “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat” (Mark 8:1). In both miracles, Jesus doesn’t want to send the crowds away and notes how they were in a deserted place. In the first miracle, Jesus could have sent the people to the surrounding farms and villages to buy food, but he chose not to. In the second, the people were very far from their homes and would collapse on the way if they were sent to find food. Jesus is fully aware that he is the Word of Life and the Bread of Life and that he can provide what the people most need.
Jesus Sees our Humanity: This must have happened often in the three years of Jesus’ public ministry—that he spent such a long time preaching and teaching a crowd that they had eaten all the snacks they brought for the road trip. Hunger turned to hanger—for the apostles, too, perhaps. And Jesus was not insensitive to this. Perhaps in this time of prayer, we want to linger with this truth: there is no aspect of our humanity to which Jesus is insensitive. Everything about our lives matters to him because it matters to us. Pondering with the Holy Spirit, is there any particular aspect of our life, even so human and mundane as hunger, which the Lord invites us to present to him? Let us be confident that he will receive it in love, and act as he sees best.
The Gospels often use that strong anatomical verb on Jesus. His bowels "stirred with compassion." Time and again Jesus was touched (stirred with compassion) - touched with pity, with compassion, for all kinds of human suffering - for a crowd of thousands that had stayed with him three days and had nothing to eat: "I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."(Mark 8:2-3) His bowels "stirred with compassion" for all kinds of sick people who had followed him to a lonely place; for a widow whose only son died before her eyes.
The father of an epileptic appealed to the "bowels of [his] compassion" to help his foaming, convulsing son. And in today's Gospel, Jesus' bowels "stirred with compassion" for a leper in the dust crying, "If you will, you can make me clean." But that is only half of the picture. When touched, what did Jesus do? When touched, he touches. When the bowels of his compassion are stirred, he reaches out, he touches the hand of a dead 12-year old girl (Mark 5:41), the hand of Peter's mother-in-law suffering from fever (Mark 1:31), the epileptic boy (Mark 9:27), the eyes of two blind men outside Jericho (Matt. 20:34), the ears and tongue of a deaf man with speech impediment (Mark 7:33), the right ear of the high priest's slave cut off by Peter, the poor swordsman (Luke 22:51). All these he touched. When Peter was sinking in the sea,
Jesus "reached out his hand and caught him." (Matt. 14:28-31) He not only bless the children, he "took them in his arms." At the Last Supper he lovingly washed the feet of his disciples (John 13:4-5). One of the things that stand out in the Gospels is that Jesus was a man of compassion. He certainly could feel with, identify himself
with the suffering people. In today's Gospel a leper is somebody everybody will avoid - even today.
It is here that we see the compassion of Jesus. His bowel stirred with compassion. He not only healed the leper, but he reached out and touched him - a gesture of love and caring, even if this touching would render Jesus him legally "unclean" for temple worship. Have you ever felt the touch of Jesus upon you? Try to take a moment to feel the healing touch of Jesus on your head or on your shoulder. Feel him embracing you in his love. Hear his words, "Your sins are forgiven. Be made clean." "Open your eyes, your ears, and your tongue. Stand and walk." Touch has many faces. There is the touch of the terrorist: cold, cruel, and destructive. There is the touch of the rapist and serial killer: secret, lustful, and pathological. There is the touch of the swindler: smooth, cunning, and deceptive. And there is the touch of someone who cares: at once strong and gentle, the kind of touch that brings healing and peace - the touch of Christ. To be effective, touch does not have to be physical. Skin touches skin is powerful beyond compare if... if it is a symbol, if it says something like, "I care" or "I'm sorry" or "I love you." But whether you make skin contact or not is not always important; what is important always is that you are reaching out. It is hearts that have to touch, even when hands do not.
Give yourself! Follow Christ in his compassion. Walk the same old Jericho Road, but now with eyes open, heart outstretched. Time and again you'll come upon someone - friend, enemy, stranger - someone who calls to you weakly - for a little of your life, a touch of your heart. If you hear that silent cry, try not to pass by on the other side. That silent cry ... it just might be Jesus.
