11 February 2012, Saturday
Gospel: Mk 8:1-10
Second Miracle of the Loaves
A great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.’ His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’ He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven,’ they said. Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd. They had a few small fish as well, and over these he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed also. They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over. Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha.
Reflection
It is hard to understand why four thousand people would leave behind their daily chores for three days just to be with Jesus, to listen to His teachings and witness His miracles. It is illogical and impractical. We hear God’s Word and witness the miracle of the Eucharist at Mass weekly but we seem not to yearn for Jesus the way these people did.
There must be more than what was audible and visible that the people experienced. Perhaps, their encounter with Jesus brought them the hope, love, joy and peace which transformed their hearts and turned their lives towards God.
When you meet Jesus in prayer and at Mass, do you also open your heart to desire an encounter with Him?
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