Daily Gospel Reflection for January 8, 2019

Today's Gospel: Mark 6:34-44 Today’s hospel is traditionally referred to as the Loaves and Fishes, but what captures my heart is that they are "sheep without a shepherd in a deserted place." They come to Jesus, and this moves His heart with pity and He teaches them. His disciples tell Jesus to dismiss the people so they can find food, not understanding what Jesus already knows: the people are hungry not for food, but for Him, for His word, to be filled with everlasting truth. Jesus sees the hunger in their spirit; His disciples see only the hunger in their bodies. Jesus takes care of both. He not only feeds them with His truth, He feeds them with food. And while the disciples say it would take two hundred days' wages to feed this crowd, Jesus does it with five loaves and two fish. Christ also challenges the disciples to “Give them some food yourselves,” at which they protest, because they do not yet understand that one day they must be the ones to feed the lost sheep, to satisfy those hungry hearts with His Word, the Gospel. So Jesus shows them with a miracle that all will remember and retell. He uses five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand and more. “They all ate and were satisfied.” Afterward, there was collected twelve baskets of leftovers that would feed even more people, because the God’s love cannot be contained; it overflows. Without realizing it at the time, the disciples will eventually be commissioned to continue to feed others, just as we are called to spread the Gospel. We too can feed others even with the little we have – and in the giving, the food multiplies until it spills over and continues feeding.

Ponder:

We come to Christ from our own deserted places, hungry, thirsting for Him. Reflect on the times when you have been fed. What opportunities do you have to feed others?

Pray:

O Lord, let Your heart be moved with pity for us, sheep longing for a shepherd in our own deserted place. Feed us until we are satisfied, overflowing Your love to one another without end. Amen.

Copyright 2019 Shelly Kelly Shelly Henley Kelly is a daughter of God, a Martha who tries to be Mary, living in the world, but not of the world, perpetually busy as breadwinner, wife, mother, catechist, etc. A published author and talented speaker, Shelly writes about being a Working Mom and Catechist at soundmindandspirit.com and can be heard on various podcasts at https://sqpn.com/ Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required