Gospel

When Jesus multiplied the loaves, he revealed himself as a prophet.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 
Mk 6:34-44

At that time: When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ And they said to him, ‘Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go and see.’ And when they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

The Gospel of the Lord

Excited to Contribute

In today’s Gospel, Christ speaks to each of us personally and directly:
“Give them something to eat. How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
Because my spouse has a hunger that only I can help satisfy, and God has given me what they need.
This is the specific call to live out our vocation of conjugal love. Jesus only needs a tiny bit of willingness and generosity to transform our marriage: my loaves and fishes, offered in service to my spouse. Is it little? Yes, we know that… or perhaps the problem is we think we’re giving a lot. Maybe the first step is to “go and see” how many loaves I truly have, to realise I don’t even have enough to begin to satisfy their hunger. My spouse hungers for the infinite, because they hunger for God.
But the Lord continues to speak, asking my spouse to recline and prepare to be filled with what they truly need. He asks me to give all I have and all I am to Him. Yet, since only God can quench their thirst for the infinite, we must first offer it to Jesus. He will transform it and perform the miracle of abundance.

Applied to Married Life:

James: Laura, you’re right. I’m not giving my all in our relationship, which is why you feel an emptiness inside. For example, do I really listen to you? Do I try to understand you? Do I make an effort to please you? Do I make you feel important? Do I respect your authority with our children? Do I share decisions with you? Do I compliment you daily? Do I tell you how much I love you every day? I can see I fall far short of giving you everything I have and everything I am.
Laura (James’ wife): Honestly, I could say the same to you. I complain, but I’m not doing my part either. Still, if we were to do this in the name of the Lord, even though our love is small, wounded, and fragile, if we offer it to Jesus, He will multiply it until there are baskets left over. Surprisingly, it will also feed those around us: our children, family, friends…
James: I think it’s worth getting excited about contributing what little we have so the Lord can fill our hearts with the communion we both need. Shall we give Him everything?
Laura: Everything. Let’s go!

Mother,

We’re certain that Jesus feels compassion for us and won’t let us leave unsatisfied. We lift our eyes to heaven. Father, we bless You and offer You the most precious gift: the Sacrifice of Your Son, through whom our marriage has been redeemed. We give You all that we are; we hold nothing back. Allow us to give ourselves to each other as it was in the beginning of creation so that our mutual self-giving may perfectly satisfy the hunger for love in our hearts. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.
 

Gospel

‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 
Mt 4:12-17, 23-25

At that time: When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
  And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

The Gospel of the Lord

The Most Powerful Gifts

“The kingdom of heaven is near,” Jesus said. And the kingdom of heaven has already come. What does this mean for you and me? It means that while we had a fallen nature, the Lord has raised it so we can partake in the Divine nature.
We often rely on the gifts inherent to our fallen nature: intelligence, free will, determination—powers that today are often exalted far beyond their true worth. Whether acknowledged or not, these are gifts from God. But above these are the preternatural gifts. These are superior to the gifts of fallen human nature but were present in humanity before the Fall and are still found in other creatures of God. For example, the gift of immortality, which angels possess. Alongside this are gifts like knowledge, integrity, and immunity.
Even higher are the supernatural gifts—gifts that surpass the nature of all creatures and are unique to the Divine nature. These include grace and glory.
Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are made partakers of the Divine nature (by adoption), allowing us to share in these supernatural gifts, namely His grace and glory. Shouldn’t we place more trust in these gifts than in the natural ones so highly valued today?
Spouses, the kingdom of heaven is already here. Let us enjoy it.

Applied to Married Life:

Charles: Darling, a new year is beginning, and I propose a change in our relationship. So far, we’ve tried to heal our wounds and overcome our differences by relying on dialogue, trying to convince each other that one of us is right. But it hasn’t worked. We’ve tried various techniques, therapies, and approaches, and at best, we’ve managed to tolerate each other or carve out separate zones of tranquillity—though not true peace—where we leave each other alone without interfering too much.
Alice: Yes, Charles. Let’s say we’ve reached a kind of strained understanding that works only in phases. But this isn’t what I hoped for in our marriage. It falls far short of my expectations.
Charles: Exactly. I feel the same. We’ve aimed to become one, to be truly united, but we haven’t achieved that. So, I propose we work with a different set of gifts—supernatural gifts that God has given us, the very gifts for which He came into the world: to make communion between us possible. I’m talking about the grace of God. Let’s rely on Him, the sacraments, prayer, and the grace of our sacrament in our mutual self-giving. Love is by far the strongest force in the universe, with infinite power, and we must draw on it. Don’t you agree?
Alice: I think that’s brilliant. It’s the best plan for this year, and it fills me with hope.

Mother,

Full of Grace, you truly trusted in the most precious gifts. You knew how to make the most of God’s greatest gift through your Son. Praise be to the Lord, who has brought us supernatural gifts to lead us to glory. Amen.

Gospel of the Day

Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John 1:1-18 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was in the beginning with God.  
All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made.  
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not receive it.  
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came as a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe.  
He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him.  
He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.  
But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name:  
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  
John bore witness of him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for he was before me.'”  
And of his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

But a lot!

There may be situations that make me uncomfortable in life, and I might complain about them, but that is completely unjust. Here and now, I am going to realize what it means for Jesus to be with the Father in heaven for all eternity and suddenly leave heaven to come into the world to live a life among creatures, or should I say worms, sinners (which is what we are without Him). Can one love more? Can anyone love someone more?  
I can imagine the brutal leap it must entail to move from our life to the life of heaven, as I cannot even begin to imagine what that leap must mean but in reverse. We must love a great deal, but a great deal, a lot. But a lot, to give it.

Applying to Married Life:

Carmen: Today I confessed about the number of times I am unjust to God every day.  
Jaime: Unjust? Why?  
Carmen: For every time I have complained. It is unjust for me to complain when the Lord loves me so much, and He does not complain about what He has had to do for me.  
Jaime: You are right. The least we can do is to suffer for our own sins. I think we should be in constant gratitude and praise to Him.  
Carmen: That’s it. That’s what I had to confess.  
Jaime: I will keep that in mind for my next confession.

Mother,

Let your spirit rejoice in God. May we do the same. Blessed be the Lord who loves us so, so much.

Gospel of the Day