GOSPEL
Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee – or of Tiberias – and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.
Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’ He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.’ So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself.
The atmosphere between us might be strained. I may have been negatively affected by a multitude of situations crowding my mind, which I obsessively mull over: “It’s not fair for them to say that about me,” “How can they see me so negatively?” “They don’t appreciate anything I do,” and so on.
It is time to stop focusing on myself and lamenting, and instead turn to Divine Abundance. He will lift me out of this darkness and satisfy me with His love if I offer up ours. It is time to move beyond myself and into you. I contemplate God, His greatness, and serve my spouse, cherishing all the good and beautiful things God has given me in them.
John: We’ve been spiralling into a dark place that blinds and saddens me, making it hard to see the light. But Jesus sees our hunger and will do whatever it takes to satisfy it.
Theresa: Perhaps it’s time to lie down on the grass and wait for Him to fill the void in our hearts with His power. It’s time to look to the heavens and ask Him, with humility: “Lord, we can’t do this on our own. I don’t have what it takes to fill my spouse’s heart. My poor attempts at love don’t satisfy. But I will do my best. Help me.”
John: This is something supernatural, and therefore, hard for me to grasp, but I will try. I will go to confession, contemplate God and His greatness, all the good He has given me. I will reflect on your gifts, my wife. How wonderful you are, how hard you work, how you help me be more sociable, how dedicated you are… I ask the Lord for help, do my part, and wait for His assistance to see all the good and beauty in you, my wife, and in our marriage. He always blesses us.
Mother,
Today I join the young boy, who seemed to have very little to offer with his meal; yet when he gave what he had to Jesus, it fed a multitude. Mother, I give you my weakness, my inability to love as I should… offer it to Jesus for me, because I do love the spouse you have given me, but I want to do it better. Let none of what you give me be lost, Mother, protect it. Praise be to the Lord for His abundant generosity. Amen.