God wants to bless folks. He wants us to help (readings for July 29, 2018)

Key:

What these passages tell us about God

What these passages tell us to do

Commentary

Reading 1 2 KGS 4:42-44

A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of God, twenty barley loaves made from the firstfruits, and fresh grain in the ear.  Elisha said, "Give it to the people to eat."

But his servant objected, "How can I set this before a hundred people?"

Elisha insisted, "Give it to the people to eat. For thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'"  And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said.

Responsorial Psalm PS 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18

R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might.
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.

Reading 2 EPH 4:1-6

Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humilityand gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spiritthrough the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Alleluia LK 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has risen in our midst. God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 6:1-15

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.  A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.  Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near.  When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him,because he himself knew what he was going to do. 

Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little."  One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" 

Jesus said, "Have the people recline."  Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.  So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.  Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.  When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted."  So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."  Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrewagain to the mountain alone.

1.    God cares for and desires to bless people.  He demonstrates that by meeting our physical needs, here healing and feeding. (first reading, gospel). See also Wisdom 7:22-23.

2.    We have to cooperate in, contribute to, that:

A.   By taking action in reliance upon His ability and faithfulness to provide what is needed.

B.    By doing so even (and especially) when we don’t understand how He will do that. (first reading, gospel). We are told to do this several other times in the gospels. See Mark 5:36, Luke 8:50, John 11:40.  That principle is also laid out in Proverbs 3:5-7.

C.    By making the most of what He has already given us. (first reading, gospel).

D.   By being humble, gentle, and patient with each other as we work together to deliver, and receive, God’s goodness. (second reading).