Sunday Reflections, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, 2 August 2026

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Lambert Lombard [Web Gallery of Art]

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand)  

Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India)

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel Matthew 14:13-21 (English Standard Version)

At that time: When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ But Jesus said, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘We have only five loaves here and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Léachtaí i nGaeilge

 

Stamp issued in Chile for the beatification of Fr Alberto Hurtado SJ, 16 October 1994

The late Fr John Griffin, a Columban colleague from New Zealand, who after many years in the Philippines went to work in Chile, wrote an article for our Columban magazines about a great saint of our times, San Alberto Hurtado SJ (1901-1952), a native of that country.

One story in the article is a perfect expression of what happened in today's gospel. But first a little background to it:

Overall, Fr Hurtado is best known and remembered throughout Chile for his Hogar de Cristo (Christ’s Home) Foundation. The seed for this was sown late one night when he was on his way home to San Ignacio. He met a man who was in poor health, had eaten nothing all day and had nowhere to go.

This was the priest’s first encounter with such poverty and it moved him greatly. He did what he could for the man and then asked: ‘What are our Catholics doing for those who have no roof over their heads?’ He began asking this question during his retreats and so was born the idea of ‘Hogar de Cristo’. He formed a board of directors from people eager to help – six men and 30 women. Land was available alongside the Jesuit parish of Jesus the Worker and the first night-shelters were built and an appeal for funds began. By 1945 there were five shelters that had been able to house 12,000 poor men. Now it was time to do something for the numerous ‘street kids’ who spent their nights under the many bridges over the Mapocho River which runs for miles through Santiago. These youngsters needed educations as well as shelter and land was donated for this purpose a few miles to the north of the city near Colina railway station and a children’s home was built.

Today's gospel tells us: But Jesus said, 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat.'

Fr Griffin continues about San Alberto: 

Providence was always on his side. At a meeting one night his board of directors was unwilling, for lack of funds, to approve a new project. In the midst of discussions there was an unexpected call for Fr Hurtado to attend to someone at his front door. He had a brief conversation with the caller who said she wanted to leave a gift to help the great work he was doing.

He gratefully put her envelope in his pocket, wished her a good evening and returned to his meeting. He looked at the contents of the envelope as he sat down. Then he tossed a cheque onto the table saying, ‘There you are, you of little faith!’ It was for one million pesos – worth about US$30,000 at that time.

The directors on the board of Hogar de Cristo were being prudent, as they were supposed to be and, in being so, following what Jesus teaches us elsewhere in the gospels. But Father Alberto was listening to what Jesus said to the Apostles today: They need not go away; you give them something to eat.

I'm sure that when Father Alberto threw the check on the table and said 'There you are, you of little faith' he did so with a smile that expressed both irony and gratitude and that the board members saw the irony and felt the same sense of gratitude.

Once again we find the presence of Jesus in the needs of others - and in one who joyfully lives the Gospel.

 

Hogar de Cristo dining hall

[Wikimedia Commons; photo]       

The Multiplication of the Loaves

This is a meditation on the gift of self and cooperation given by San Alberto during a retreat. Some of the details here are found in St John’s Gospel.

     

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

 5,000 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 5 loaves and 2 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: 12 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 . . .      

A Hymn to Alberto Hurtado SJ

Written by Pablo Coloma for the beatification of Blessed Alberto on 16 October 1994, Sung by Pablo Coloma and Ximena Concha

Alberto, hoy resuena tu nombre                        

Se escucha tu palabra encendida

Tu rostro hoy recorre las calles

Tu huella marca un nuevo camino

Profeta que anunciaste el Reino

Supiste denunciar el dolor

Reíste con un canto a la vida

Mostraste un camino mejor.

Alberto, your name resounds today,

your enlightening word is heard, 

your face is seen today on the streets,

your footprints mark a new path.

A prophet who proclaimed the Kingdom,

who knew about pain,

who laughed with a song to life,

who showed a better way.

Alberto contemplé tu figura

incendiando las calles de una oscura ciudad.

Y vi que mil rostros reían

y otros más comprendían que era el paso de Dios.

Alberto has tocado nuestra alma

y ya siento que enciende ese fuego de Dios.

Tu vida fue un regalo divino,

una historia que hizo de este Chile un hogar.

Alberto, I watched you

lighting up the streets of a dark city.

And I saw a thousand faces laughing

and others who understood that that was the way of God.

Alberto, you have touched our soul

and I feel that I am lit by the fire of God.

Your life was a divine gift,

a story that made this Chile a home.

Maestro que enseñaste a vivir

la vida como lo hizo Jesús,

mirando en los hombres que sufren

su cuerpo castigado en la cruz.

A teacher who taught how to live

as Jesus did,

looking at those who suffer,

his body punished on the cross.

Apóstol, compañero de pobres,

viviste en tu carne el dolor

de tantos que viván despreciados,

tus manos fueron pan y un hogar.

Apostle, companion of the poor, 

you lived in your flesh the pain

of the many who are despised,

your hands were bread and a home.

Alberto contemplé tu figura

incendiando las calles de una oscura ciudad.

Y vi que mil rostros reían

y otros más comprendían que era el paso de Dios.

Alberto has tocado nuestra alma

y ya siento que enciende ese fuego de Dios.

Tu vida derramada en las calles

se alsa inmensa hasta el cielo en las manos de todos.

Alberto, I watched you

lighting up the streets of a dark city.

And I saw a thousand faces laughing and others who understood

that that was the way of God.

Alberto, you have touched our soul

and I feel that I am lit by the fire of God.

Your life poured out on the streets

is infinitely raised to heaven in the hands of all.

Just as St Teresa of Kolkata is known to everyone simply as 'Mother Teresa' and St Pius of Pietrelcina as 'Padre Pio', San Alberto Hurtado is known to Chileans still as 'Padré Hurtado'.

Traditional Latin Mass

Tenth Sunday After Pentecost

The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 08-02-2026 if necessary).

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:2-11. Gospel: Luke 18:9-14.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

Dirck van Delen [Web Gallery of Art]

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ (Luke 18:13; Gospel)

Sunday Reflections, 4th Sunday of Lent, Year A, 15 March 2026

Fr Noel O'Neill with Myeong Sek

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand)

Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, Scotland, India)

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel John 9:1-41 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)

[For the shorter form (9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38) omit the text in brackets and italics.]

At that time: As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. [And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ Having said these things,] he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘It is he.’ Others said, ‘No, but he is like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ [So they said to him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” So I went and washed and received my sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’]

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?’ And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’ 

[The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.’ He answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ And they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man answered, ‘Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’] They answered him, ‘You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?’ And they cast him out.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and he worshipped him. [Jesus said, ‘For judgement I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, ‘Are we also blind?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, “We see”, your guilt remains.’]

Léachtaí i nGaeilge

Fr Noel O'Neill with Myeong Sek at grave of You Ha

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and he worshipped him (John 9:35-38; Gospel).

The blind man met Jesus, heard him and believed. When St John wrote his gospel his purpose was that we, like the blind man, would meet Jesus, hear him and believe.  

Fr Noel O’ Neill, a Columban priest from Limerick, Ireland, who died last year aged 92, went to Korea in 1957, four years after the war had ended there. Working in Gwangju he became involved with the Mudeong Institution, also known as the Beggars' Camp, which housed 600 people from the margins, including persons with learning disabilities. He noticed that there were not able to speak for themselves and felt drawn to these ‘forgotten ones’. 

      

Holy Mass in Emmaus Community, Myeong Sek in grey

Fr       One of these 'forgotten ones' was a young woman named You Ha. Father Noel was called to visit her when she was dying in a nearby hospital. He arrived just in time to hear her say Kamsahamnida, ‘Thank you’, her last words. You Ha had no family and the hospital was going to use her body for medical research. But Father Noel bought a grave for her in the Catholic cemetery and took care of the funeral expenses. He had these words inscribed on the tombstone: Will you forgive society? Will you forgive the Church? For too long have we ignored you.

This experience led to Father Noel’s discovering his ‘vocation within a vocation’: to spend the rest of his life enabling persons with learning disabilities to live in small family-like homes in the wider community. He saw this not just as a matter of charity but of justice.

The first person to join him in such a community was Myeong Sek. Here are Father Noel's own words.

Myeong Sek had been abandoned by her parents when she was a few years old and ended up in ‘The Beggars Camp’, Mudeong Institution, which I frequently visited while in parish ministry. After much negotiation with the authorities there I succeeded in getting permission for Myeong Sek to leave and to join with me and a volunteer as we moved into a two-storey house in a residential part of the city. It was October 1981. This was the first attempt in Korea of offering people with special needs the opportunity of living in the local community.

Early in 2012 Myeong Sek was diagnosed with cancer. She spent the last ten days of her life in a hospice. A hospice and Emmaus [the name Father Noel had chosen for the small communities] have something in common. A hospice is for people dying whose ailment cannot be cured. Emmaus is for intellectually disabled people whose disability cannot be cured. A visit to either one alerts us to the preciousness of each moment of life; it arouses within us a sense of gratitude.

While Myeong Sek was in the hospice I visited her every day. As I sat beside her bedside and held her tiny hand, we reminisced about the funny incidents we had shared together throughout the previous 30 years, the times we used to sing Kaptori Wa Kapsoni (a popular Korean action song) and dance the hokey pokey.

 

As she laid back on her bed she would break into a broad smile, a loving smile, sending me a message that no words could express. They were happy moments, happy days, happy years.

That smile also hid the many wounds and hurts she had endured in her lifetime. I was only too well aware of those painful wounds. Watching the peaceful look on her face I felt she already sensed the heavenly welcome. She could almost make the dying words of St Thérèse, the Little Flower, her own: ‘I am not dying, I am entering into life’.

Myeong Sek was waked for three days at the funeral home. Those who had lived with her in the group home were dressed in mourning black dress, and they greeted those who came to pay their respects, present and former staff members who had known her for many years. Many Catholic friends and sponsors came who were touched and moved by their relationship with Myeong Sek. This tiny, fragile woman had the gift to make them feel loved and at peace with themselves as they struggled with their problems.

Myeong Sek often said, ‘When I die, those who come to the wake, feed them well’. They came in large numbers to pay their respects and all ate well. Before leaving as each one ate and departed you could almost sense the presence of Myeong Sek as she said kamsahamnida, ‘thank you, thank you’.

 

The funeral Mass was held at the parish church Myeong Sek used to attend. Six priests concelebrated for a packed congregation. I chose for the Gospel the story of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. As the two disciples eyes were opened at seeing Jesus break the bread, so also my eyes were opened by my relationship with Myeong Sek. This tiny, fragile woman, who could not read or write, who had no concept of time or money, was my teacher, my professor. We need to invite and welcome more Myeong Seks into our society because they will surprise us with the manner they can touch our inner selves and help us to welcome our weaknesses, our old age with graceful and peaceful courage. Yes, Myeong Sek was differently abled.

To slightly adapt the words of Jesus in today's gospel: It was not that You Ha or Myeong Sek sinned, or their parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in them.

And may the Myeong Seks in our own lives display the works of God to us and open our eyes as Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man in today’s gospel, bringing us to say, ‘Lord, I believe’ and to worship him.

 

Myeong Sek's funeral Mass

Myeong Sek's funeral

 Traditional Latin Mass

Fourth Sunday in Lent

The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 03-15-2026 if necessary).

Epistle: Galatians 4:22-31. Gospel: John 6:1-15.

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Lambert Lombard [Web Gallery of Art]

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 (John 6:11; Gospel).

 

           

                                                         

'Fortunately for us, God never fails in his faithfulness' (Benedict XVI). Sunday Reflections, 4th Sunday of Lent, Year C

 

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,)

Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland) 

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel Luke 15:1-3, 11- 32 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)

At that time: The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable: ‘There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.” And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

‘But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’ ”

‘And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

‘Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.” But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!” And he said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” ’

Léachtaí i nGaeilge

The Return of the Prodigal Son (detail)

Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]

About ten years ago while still in the Philippines I met a woman from a Western country who told me that the first lie her parents told her was that Santa Claus existed. Had I been alert enough at the time I would have asked her, So Jesus lied to us about the Prodigal Son, about the Good Samaritan? They never 'existed'.

As Pope Benedict XVI said in his Angelus Talk on today's gospel on 14 March 20: This passage of St Luke constitutes one of the peaks of spirituality and literature of all time. Indeed, what would our culture, art and more generally our civilization be without this revelation of a God the Father so full of mercy?

We would never have had Rembrandt's powerful and deeply moving painting above.

Here is the full text of Pope Bendict's talk that day with my emphases added. (I find it difficult to add emphases to anything by Pope Benedict since I find his talks so deep, so clear and so uplifting.)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, the Gospel of the father and the two sons better known as the Parable of the ‘Prodigal Son’ (Lk 15:11-32) is proclaimed. This passage of St Luke constitutes one of the peaks of spirituality and literature of all time. Indeed, what would our culture, art and more generally our civilization be without this revelation of a God the Father so full of mercy? It never fails to move us and every time we hear or read it, it can suggest to us ever new meanings. Above all, this Gospel text has the power of speaking to us of God, of enabling us to know his Face and, better still, his Heart. After Jesus has told us of the merciful Father, things are no longer as they were before.

We now know God; he is our Father who out of love created us to be free and endowed us with a conscience, who suffers when we get lost and rejoices when we return. For this reason, our relationship with him is built up through events, just as it happens for every child with his parents: at first he depends on them, then he asserts his autonomy; and, in the end if he develops well he reaches a mature relationship based on gratitude and authentic love.

In these stages we can also identify moments along man's journey in his relationship with God. There can be a phase that resembles childhood: religion prompted by need, by dependence. As man grows up and becomes emancipated, he wants to liberate himself from this submission and become free and adult, able to organize himself and make his own decisions, even thinking he can do without God. Precisely this stage is delicate and can lead to atheism, yet even this frequently conceals the need to discover God's true Face. Fortunately for us, God never fails in his faithfulness and even if we distance ourselves and get lost he continues to follow us with his love, forgiving our errors and speaking to our conscience from within in order to call us back to him.

In this parable the sons behave in opposite ways: the younger son leaves home and sinks ever lower whereas the elder son stays at home, but he too has an immature relationship with the Father. In fact, when his brother comes back, the elder brother does not rejoice like the Father; on the contrary he becomes angry and refuses to enter the house. The two sons represent two immature ways of relating to God: rebellion and childish obedience. Both these forms are surmounted through the experience of mercy. Only by experiencing forgiveness, by recognizing one is loved with a freely given love a love greater than our wretchedness but also than our own merit do we at last enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.

Dear friends, let us meditate on this parable. Let us compare ourselves to the two sons and, especially, contemplate the Heart of the Father. Let us throw ourselves into his arms and be regenerated by his merciful love. May the Virgin Mary, Mater Misericordiae, help us to do this.

The Return of the Prodigal Son (detail)

Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]

Some thoughts of my own

Part of the genius of this parable of Jesus is that it doesn't have an ending, but an invitation. We don't know whether or not the older, dutiful son joined the celebration after his father spoke with him. He can  only see at that moment the wasted life of his younger brother. Did he come to see the immense suffering this had brought to their father, suffering that Rembrandt captures so movingly? 

The father doesn't argue with his older son. He is well aware of that son's sense of responsibility. The father also hears his angry and dismissive 'this son of yours'. He gently points out, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.

The father shows his love to each of his sons in their very different situations.

The invitation in the parable is not only to the older son. It is to me. Is the Father inviting me to let go of sins that have separated me from him, a separation that he doesn't want, by asking his pardon, especially in the sacrament of confession? Or is the Father inviting me to let go of my self-righteousness, my lack of humility, my lack of gratitude for daily blessings, even though I am conscientious in doing what is right?

The Father has reserved a place for each of us at the celebration.    

Communion Antiphon sung in Korean and Latin

Schola Gregoriana Abba Caelum, Seoul, Korea

Antiphona ad commuionem Communion Antiphon Luke 15:32

Oportet te, fili, gaudere, quia frater tuus mortuus fuerat, et revixit; perierat, et inventus est.

You must rejoice, my son, for your brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.        

Traditional Latin Mass

Fourth Sunday in Lent

The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 03-30-2025 if necessary).

Epistle: Galatians 4:22-31.  Gospel: John 6:1-15. 

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Lambert Lombard [Web Gallery of Art]

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 (John 6:11; Gospel).