Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland)
Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel John 6:1-15 (English Standard Version, Anglicised: India)
After this Jesus went away to the other side
of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following
him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was
at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming
toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are
we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He
said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would
not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One
of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish,
but what are they for so many?” Jesus
said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place.
So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus
then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to
those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This
is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force
to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
St Alberto Hurtado SJ is a man who took today's gospel very seriously, He established the first Hogar de Cristo, Home of Christ, in Chile in 1944 to care for the many in Santiago who were homeless or had little to eat. There are now many such homes, not only in Chile and in other countries in South America but in the USA. Canonised in 2005 by Pope Benedict, he is still venerated in Chile as he was loved in his lifetime by the simple title of 'Padre Hurtado'.
He can speak to us with authority, as he does in this meditation he gave many years ago. His reference to the Venerable Matt Talbot comes from the time he spent in Dublin learning English.
The Multiplication of the Loaves
Meditation during a retreat on the
gift of self and cooperation.
Indecision, faintheartedness is the great obstacle
in the plan of cooperation. We think: 'I’m not worth all that much', and from
this comes discouragement: 'It makes no difference whether I act or fail to
act. Our powers of action are so limited. Is my unpretentious work worthwhile?
Does my abstaining from this have any meaning? If I fail to sacrifice myself
nothing changes. No one needs me . . . A mediocre vocation?' How many vocations
are lost. It is the advice of the devil that is partly true. The difficulty
must be faced.
The solution
Five thousand men along with women and children
have been hungry for three days . . . Food? They would need at least 200
denarii to feed them and this is the approximate yearly salary of a labourer.
In the desert! 'Tell them to go!' But Andrew, more
observant says: 'There are five loaves and two fish, but what are these among
so many?' Here we have our same problem: the disproportion.
And the loaves. Made of barley, hard as rocks (the
Jews used wheat). And the fish. They were from the lake, small, rather mushy in
texture, carried by a young boy in a sack that had lain on the ground for three
days in the heat . . . not much of a solution.
Did the Lord despise this offering? No, and with
his blessing he fed all the hungry and had leftovers. Neither did he despise
the leftovers: twelve baskets of the surplus were gathered, fish heads and
bones, but even this he valued.
The young boy consented to give Christ his poor
offering, not realizing that he would feed the multitude. He believed that he
had lost his small possession but he found instead that there was even a
surplus and that he had cooperated for the good of the others.
And me . . . like those fish (less than those
loaves) bruised and perhaps decomposing but in the hands of Christ my action
may have a divine scope a divine reach.
Remember Ignatius, Augustine, Camillus de Lellis,
and Matt Talbot, base sinners whose lives were converted into spiritual
nourishment for millions who will continue to feed on their witness.
My actions and my desires can have a divine scope and can change the face of the earth. I will not know it, the fish did not know it either. I can do a great deal if I remain in Christ; I can accomplish much if I cooperate with Christ . .
Ó Aithrí an Reachtaraigh / from Raftery’s Repentance
Le / by Antoine Raiftearaí
A Rí na Glóire atá lán de ghrása,
is tú a rinne beoir is fíon den uisce;
le beagán aráin do riar Tú and sló;
Och! Freastail fóir agus slánaigh mise.
O King
of Glory full of grace,
You
made beer and wine from water;
With a
little bread you provided for the multitude;
Oh! Attend to, help and save me.
Raiftearaí (1779 – 1835) was one of the last of the wandering Irish bards. He was the youngest of nine children. Some time between 1786 and 1786 all except Antaine died at the same time from smallpox and he became blind. His poetry was in Irish, though not written down when composed. The poem from which the stanza above is taken shows a knowledge of Scripture, including a familiarity with today's Gospel, along with a deep faith in God's mercy and that of our Blessed Mother and an awareness that his life was drawing to a close. He died on Christmas Day 1835. His surname, which has a number of variations in Irish, is usually Anglicised as 'Raftery'.
Gaude, [Virgo] gloriosa, / super omnes speciosa, / vale, [o] vale decora, / et pro nobis Christum exora.
Hail, Queen of Heaven, / hail, mistress of the Angels, / root of Jesse; hail, the gate / through which the LIght rose over the earth.
Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 7-25-2021 if necessary).
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 10:6-13. Gospel: Luke 19:41-47.
Authentic Beauty
Authentic beauty, however, unlocks the yearning of the human heart, the profound desire to know, to love, to go towards the Other, to reach for the Beyond.
As I prepare this we are getting plenty of blue skies here in Ireland and temperatures in the high 20Cs and even over 30C. The song includes the line Nothing but blue skies from now on. That's very unlikely in Ireland at any time of year but we are grateful for blue skies we're having at the moment.
I saw Chanticleer in the National Concert Hall in Dublin in December 2018. They have an extensive and varied repertoire as they show in Ave, Regina coelorum and Blue Skies. In Joseph Jennings's arrangement of the latter there are musical allusions to Johann Sebastian Bach, to Christmas and to weddings.
1 comment:
What a beautiful reflection on the gospel! We often do not recognize that the little things we do have great impact on others. This reflection should keep on reminding us that before God everything good we do regardless of its quantity or magnitude is pleasing before God. Thanks Fr. Sean for sharing.
Mode/Verns
Post a Comment