Gospel of the Day
From the Gospel according to Mark 6:34-44
When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply,
“Give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food
and give it to them to eat?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
And when they had found out they said,
“Five loaves and two fish.”
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples
to set before the people;
he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments
and what was left of the fish.
Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.
At first, what moves Jesus to compassion is that the people were in need of hearing His Word, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
Later, He is moved with compassion because they lack food.
These are the two key moments of the Eucharist:
the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
If the Lord sees us hungry for His Word and for His Bread, and if we are aware of how little we can do on our own, He will be moved with compassion and will give us all the nourishment our soul needs, until there is more than enough, until we can receive no more.
Brought into Married Life
Natalia: Today Adoration felt too short. You know, Joseph, I am really looking forward to the Eucharist. I want so much to listen to the Word and to receive the Lord in Communion.
Joseph: I would love to go with you, Natalia, and to ask God to give me a deep hunger for the Eucharist. May the Lord be moved with compassion toward us and fill our souls with His grace.
Natalia: I also tell Him that we are hungry for communion between us. Even though we are growing a lot, our hunger is still there.
Joseph: These Christmas days have left us with such a desire to be together and to experience God’s love between us.
Natalia: Lord, fill our hearts. We are not seeking anything for ourselves. We only want to give You glory.
Joseph: Only to give You glory, because we belong entirely to You.
Mother,
We are hungry for Your Son, hungry for His Love. We are hungry, Mother. Tell Your Son about our hunger, so that He may be moved with compassion for us.
Amen.