They all ate and were satisfied.

“Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” Jesus said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do." (John 6: 5 - 6).

This is the prelude to the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves.  This miracle is critical to the the Mission of Jesus to establish the Kingdom of God amongst men.  Note that this is not a haphazard event since "He himself knew what he was going to do." The Multiplication of Loaves point squarely to the Miracle of the Eucharist, the subject of most of Chapter 6 of the Gospel of St John.

What did Jesus do on this occasion?
"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."   (John 6: 11).

On the night before He died, "Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you,  for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26: 26 - 29).

The Eucharist is not a happy chance event in the ministry of Jesus.  To use the words of Prophet Isaiah:
"O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God; you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them, just as you said!"  (Isaiah 25: 1).

The Eucharist is the symbol of God's inexhaustible bounty and generosity.
 “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."  (John 6: 12 - 13).

We have a foreshadowing of this miracle in today's first Reading where Prophet Elisha commanded:
“Give it to the people to eat, for thus says the Lord: You will eat and have some left over.”  He set it [20 barley loaves] before them, and when they had eaten, they had some left over, according to the word of the Lord."  (2 Kings 4: 43 - 44).

Therefore come with a joyful heart without hesitation or excuses to the Table of the Lord:

"All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, buy grain and eat;
Come, buy grain without money, wine and milk without cost!"  (Isaiah 55: 1).

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An enemy has done this.

“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.". (Matthew 13: 24 - 25).

The man who sowed good seed in his field in this parable is God. The enemy who sneaked in at night and sowed weeds is the devil.
The question is:  Why will an all powerful God allow the devil to spoil the work of His hands?  This and similar questions bother many people of good will.  The Church has grappled with the mystery of evil most of her history and at the end has concluded that evil is indeed a mystery.  But the question never goes away.

Why did God allow the division in the Body of Christ?
Why does God permit slavery and abuse of children?
Why did God permit the Holocaust?
Why did God allow such a horrible agony and death of Jesus on the Cross?  It goes on and on.

"While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off."  (Matthew 13: 27).

We know that God never sleeps nor slumbers.  What is going on here? When Jesus was asked what happened, "He answered, ‘An enemy has done this." (Matthew 13: 28).  An answer full of mystery.

The Church explains the difficult mystery of Evil thus:

"The fact that God permits physical and even moral evil is a mystery that God illuminates by his Son Jesus Christ who died and rose to vanquish evil. Faith gives us the certainty that God would not permit an evil if he did not cause a good to come from that very evil, by ways that we shall fully know only in eternal life." (CCC 324).

Can you find a better insight into the mystery of Evil?

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Anxiety and lure of riches choke the word.

"The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit."  (Matthew 13: 22).

The Seed is the word of God and Jesus Christ is the Sower.  You and I represent the soil where the Sower sows the seed.  Because we know the Sower, we can say the seed is good.  Those of us who are teachers know that the student's ability to learn is in direct proportion to his desire to learn and his preparation for the class.  You become a rich soil for the word in direct proportion to your desire for the word of God and preparation in ridding yourself of unnecessary baggage in the form of "worldly anxiety and the lure of riches."  Imagine your student sitting in the classroom at 8 am with so much stuff in his mind:  little sleep, junk breakfast eaten on the run, homework not done, not sure of dinner, etc.

The Sower of the word of God and our Teacher says that each person has the responsibility in making ready the soil for the word.  Only rich soil can bear fruit and yield a harvest of 100, 60 or 30 fold. I want to go for 100 fold.  Help me Jesus.

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7-27

"The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit."  (Matthew 13: 22).

The Seed is the word of God and Jesus Christ is the Sower.  You and I represent the soil where the Sower sows the seed.  Because we know the Sower, we can say the seed is good.  Those of us who are teachers know that the student's ability to learn is in direct proportion to his desire to learn and his preparation for the class.  You become a rich soil for the word in direct proportion to your desire for the word of God and preparation in ridding yourself of unnecessary baggage in the form of "worldly anxiety and the lure of riches."  Imagine your student sitting in the classroom at 8 am with so much stuff in his mind:  little sleep, junk breakfast eaten on the run, homework not done, not sure of dinner, etc.

The Sower of the word of God and our Teacher says that each person has the responsibility in making ready the soil for the word.  Only rich soil can bear fruit and yield a harvest of 100, 60 or 30 fold. I want to go for 100 fold.  Help me Jesus.

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Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God is given to the little ones.

"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike."  (Matthew 11: 25).

Have you read "THE STORY OF A SOUL?"  The autobiography of St Therese of Lisieux, the little French flower? It is one of the most delightful and popular life of Saints since it was published at the close of the 19th century.  St Therese entered Carmel at 15 and died at 24.  What made Therese one of the 35 Doctors of the Church, 4 of which are women?

St Therese was the little child of Jesus and Jesus taught His little child the simple secret of holiness.

"The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted."  (Matthew 13: 10 - 11).

What is the knowledge of the Kingdom of God?  Read on:

The mystery of the Kingdom of God is the mystery of God's unfathomable mercy.

"Lord, your mercy reaches to heaven; your fidelity, to the clouds."
"How precious is your mercy, O God!" (Psalm 36: 6, 8).

The Blessed Virgin Mary has a profound knowledge of this mystery.  She is childlike and a little one.
"And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
“For He has looked [with loving care] on the humble state of His maidservant; For behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed and happy and favored by God!...
“And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him."  (Luke 1: 46 - 50). 

This knowledge is so profound that the Church uses the Magnificat of Mary every day in Vespers going back possibly to the beginning of the Church.  Mary, the Simple One is also Seat of Wisdom, one of her titles from ancient times.

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Jesus chose James, a vessel of clay.

"But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us."  (2 Corinthians 4: 7).

What a great portrayal of who we are.  We are delicate vessels of clay.  Yet, God has poured into us the word of life and made us messengers of this word and ministers of reconciliation urging us to go forth boldly and tell our brothers and sisters to reconcile with God.  Brothers and sisters, no more excuses of inadequacies.  Your inadequacy pushes you to front of the line.

"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain."  (John 15: 16).

Jesus Christ chose us in spite of who we are.  He knows us intimately.  He is a great and generous King.  His reward is unbelievable.

"Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy.
Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves."  (Psalm 126:  5 - 6).

Today is the feast of St James the Apostle.  He too was a vessel of clay.  He drank the chalice of the Lord and became the friend of Jesus.

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Who is my mother?

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”  And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.  For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”  (Matthew 12: 48 - 50).

"Who is my mother?"  My mother is she who does the will of God.
Who are my brothers and sisters?
My brothers and sisters are they who do the will of God.

What does it mean to do the will of God? What does Scripture say?
The Bible is full of passages on the importance and benefits of doing the will of God.  (Matthew 6: 10, Matthew 7: 21, James 1: 22, Romans 12: 2, Hebrews 10: 36, 1 John 2: 3 - 6, etc.).

The will of God is the Law of God, His Commandments and all that He has decreed. This Law is written first in the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments), in the entire Bible and in the consciences of men and women of good will everywhere.  He who observes this Law is the true brother of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit who is in every true believer helps us to observe this Law and qualifies us as the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

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God enters into trial with His people.

"For the Lord has a case against his people; he enters into trial with Israel.  (Micah 6: 2).

Every once in a while in the Journey of Faith of Israel, we see the situation we have in today's Scripture from Prophet Micah.  God has entered into litigation with His people Israel. God is both Prosecutor and Judge.  First, God lays down His case.

"My people, what have I done to you? how have I wearied you? Answer me! I brought you up from the land of Egypt, from the place of slavery I ransomed you; And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam."  (Micah 6: 3 - 4).

How would you answer the above charges?  Like David? "Have mercy on me God. I have sinned." (Cf Psalm 51: 1).   Or like Saul?  "But I did obey the LORD." Saul said."

Obedience to His will is not a complicated matter.

"You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God."  (Micah 6:  8).

And one more thing:
"He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”  (Psalm 50: 23).

This is why David is a man after God's Heart.  (1 Samuel 13: 14;  Acts 13: 22).

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