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Welcome to our daily encounter with the Word of God!
Today we reflect on the day’s readings, taken from the Book of Numbers (Numbers 11:4b-15) and the Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 14:13-21). These passages lead us to trust in God’s compassion and providence, especially in moments of exhaustion and need.
First Reading (Numbers 11:4b-15):
In today’s reading, the Israelites complain about the lack of meat, longing for the food they had in Egypt. Moses, feeling overwhelmed by the burden of leading the people, cries out to God in desperation. This passage reveals human frailty but also the honest relationship between Moses and the Lord.
It reminds us that we can bring our struggles and frustrations to God, trusting that He listens, understands, and cares for us deeply.
Gospel (Matthew 14:13-21):
In the Gospel, Jesus, deeply moved by the crowds, heals the sick and performs the miracle of multiplying five loaves and two fish to feed over five thousand people. This powerful act reveals His immense compassion and divine care.
Jesus not only meets physical needs but also nourishes the soul. When we offer Him our little, He turns it into abundance.
Reflection and Call to Trust
Today’s readings remind us that God hears our cries and acts with mercy. He responds to Moses’ burden and feeds the crowd with love. Let us trust in His providence and surrender our needs to Him with faith.
Share in the comments how today’s readings speak to your heart and how you’ve experienced God’s care in your life.
📖 Readings of the Day:
First Reading: Numbers 11:4b-15
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[Music]
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Reading from the book of Numbers. In
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those days, the children of Israel began
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to mourn, saying, "Who will give us meat
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to eat? We remember the fish we ate for
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free in Egypt, the cucumbers and melons,
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the greens, the onions and garlic. There
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is nothing here that pleases our taste.
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We see nothing except mana." The mana
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was like coriander seed and yellowish
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like a resin. The people would scatter
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to gather it and grind it in a mill or
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pound it in a mortar. Then they would
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cook it in a pan and make loaves of
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bread that tasted like bread needed with
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oil. At night when the dew fell on the
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camp, the mana also fell. Moses heard
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the people mourning in their households,
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each at the entrance to his tent. Then
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the Lord was furious. And Moses, finding
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it intolerable, said to the Lord, "Why
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have you treated your people so cruy?
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Why do I enjoy so little favor with you
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that you lay the burden of all these
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people on me? Was it I who conceived and
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gave birth to all these people that you
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should say to me, carry them in your
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bosom, as a nurse carries a child, and
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bring them to the land you swore to
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their fathers to give them. Where can I
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get meat to give to all these people?
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They are complaining against me, saying,
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"Give us meat to eat. I cannot bear the
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burden of all these people alone. It is
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too great for me. If you continue to
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treat me this way, please take my life
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if I have found favor in your sight, so
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that I may see this great misfortune no
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more." Word of the Lord. Thanks be to
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God.
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[Music]
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to Matthew. Glory to
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you, Lord. At that time, when Jesus
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heard of the death of John the Baptist,
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he departed by boat to a solitary place
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apart. But when the crowds heard of it,
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they followed him on foot from the
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towns. When Jesus got out of the boat,
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he saw a large crowd. He had compassion
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on them and healed those who were sick.
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When evening came, the disciples came to
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Jesus and said, "This is a deserted
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place and it is already late. Send the
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crowds away so they can go to the
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villages and buy themselves something to
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eat." But Jesus said to them, "They
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don't need to go away. Give them
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something to eat yourselves." The
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disciples answered, "We have here only
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five loaves and two fish." Jesus said,
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"Bring them here." Jesus told the crowds
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to sit down on the grass. Then he took
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the five loaves and the two fish, looked
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up to heaven, and said the blessing.
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Then he broke the loaves and gave them
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to the disciples. The disciples
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distributed them to the crowds. Everyone
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ate and was satisfied. And the disciples
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picked up 12 baskets full of broken
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pieces that were left over. And those
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who ate were about 5,000 men, not
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counting women and children. Word of
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salvation. Glory to you, Lord.
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[Music]
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine yourselves lost in the middle of
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a vast desert. The scorching sun beats
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down mercilessly on your heads. The sand
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burns your bare feet. and the horizon
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stretches endlessly in every direction,
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offering no sign of hope. Their
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provisions are running low, thirst
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tightens their throat, and a desperate
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question echoes in their mind. How will
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we survive?
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This image is not far from the reality
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the people of Israel faced in the
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desert. And perhaps not so far from some
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deserts each of us has traversed on our
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own journey. In the first reading, we
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encounter a scene of profound despair
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and frustration. The people of Israel,
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miraculously freed from slavery in
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Egypt, now find themselves in the
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desert. And their initial gratitude has
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given way to bitterness and discontent.
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Who will give us meat to eat? They cry.
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We remember the fish we ate for free in
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Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leaks,
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onions, and garlic.
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What profound irony. They were nostalgic
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for slavery. They preferred the onions
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of Egypt to the freedom of the desert.
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How often do we do this too? How often
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do we find ourselves romanticizing the
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past, even when that past included
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situations that harmed us? How often do
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we prefer the security of the familiar?
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Even when that familiarity limited us
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and prevented us from growing, the
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people continue their lament. But now
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our soul is dried up. Our eyes see
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nothing but this mana. The mana, the
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bread from heaven, the miraculous
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sustenance God provided daily had become
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monotonous to them. They took the
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miracle for granted and began to despise
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it. This makes me wonder how many daily
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blessings we also take for granted, the
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air we breathe, the family around us,
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the health we enjoy, the job we have.
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When was the last time we truly stopped
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to give thanks for these everyday gifts?
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Or are we too always seeking something
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better, something different, ignoring
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God's goodness that is already before
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us? But the most touching thing in this
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passage is Moses' response. This great
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leader who had faced Pharaoh, who had
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seen the miracles at the Red Sea, who
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had received the Ten Commandments at Si
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now finds himself completely
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overwhelmed. Why have you treated your
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servant so badly? He cries out to God.
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Why have I not found favor in your sight
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that you should lay the burden of all
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these people on me? Moses's honesty is
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both moving and comforting. He doesn't
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hide his frustration. Doesn't pretend
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everything is fine. He goes directly to
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God with his complaints, his doubts, his
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exhaustion. And then in a moment of
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utter vulnerability, he says, "I cannot
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carry all these people alone for they
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are too heavy for me." How many of us
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have felt this way? Overwhelmed by
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responsibilities, crushed by
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expectations,
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exhausted by the demands of life. Maybe
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you're a parent struggling to balance
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work and family. Maybe you're a
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community leader feeling the weight of
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the needs around you. Or maybe you're
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simply someone trying to navigate the
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complexities of modern life. Moses
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response teaches us something
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fundamental.
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It's okay to admit we can't do it all
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alone. It's okay to acknowledge our
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limits. Indeed, it is precisely when we
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reach the end of our own strength that
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we open ourselves to experiencing God's
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power in a new and transformative way.
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And this is where our gospel reading
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shines like a light in the desert. Jesus
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receives news of John the Baptist's
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death and seeks a deserted place to be
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alone. But the crowds follow him, about
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5,000 men, not counting women and
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children. Imagine this scene. possibly
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more than 15,000 hungry and tired people
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following Jesus to a remote location.
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The disciples, practical as ever, come
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to Jesus with a seemingly sensible
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solution. The place is deserted and the
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hour is already late. Therefore, send
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the crowds away so they can go to the
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villages and buy food. In other words,
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Jesus, this is not our problem. Let them
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fend for themselves. But Jesus has a
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completely different perspective. He
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sees not a problem to be dispatched, but
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people in need to be served. They need
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not go away. He says, "You give them
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something to eat." Imagine the
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expressions on the disciples faces. They
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must have thought, "Has Jesus lost his
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mind? How can we feed this whole crowd?"
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And indeed, when they inventory their
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resources, they find only five loaves of
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bread and two fish. A modest meal for a
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small family, let alone a crowd. But
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then something wonderful happens. Jesus
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takes these limited resources, looks up
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to heaven, blesses, breaks the loaves,
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and gives them to the disciples to
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distribute. And the impossible happens.
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Everyone eats and is satisfied. Not only
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that, but there are 12 basketfuls left
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over, more than they had at the
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beginning. This miracle teaches us
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profound truths about how God works in
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our lives. First, God doesn't wait for
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us to have abundant resources before
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using them. He takes the little we have,
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our five loaves of bread and two fish,
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and multiplies them in ways that are
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beyond our comprehension. Perhaps you
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feel like you don't have much to offer.
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Perhaps your resources seem
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insignificant compared to the needs
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around you. But remember, God
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specializes in using the small to
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accomplish the great. He doesn't need
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our perfection. He needs our
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availability. Second, miracles happen
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through human collaboration. Jesus could
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have made bread appear directly in
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people's hands, but he chose to work
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through his disciples. They were part of
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the miracle distributing what Jesus had
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multiplied. In the same way, God invites
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each of us to be part of his miracles
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today. When we visit the sick, comfort
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the grieving, feed the hungry, clothe
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the naked, we become channels of God's
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miraculous provision. Third, God's
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abundance always exceeds our need. Not
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only were everyone satisfied, but there
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were 12 baskets left over. God is not
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scarce in his provision. He is generous
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beyond our imagination. My dear brothers
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and sisters, today we are invited to
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leave behind our scarcity mentality and
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embrace the reality of God's abundance.
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We are called to stop looking
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nostalgically at the onions of Egypt and
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recognize the mana that God is providing
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daily in our lives. Like Moses, we can
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be honest with God about our limitations
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and frustrations.
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He is not offended by our vulnerability.
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In fact, it is often in our moments of
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greatest weakness that his strength is
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most clearly manifested. Like the
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disciples, we are called to offer our
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limited resources to Jesus, trusting
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that he can do infinitely more than we
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ask or imagine. Our five loaves and two
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fish may seem insignificant, but in the
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master's hands, they become instruments
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of miracles. And like the crowd, we are
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invited to approach Jesus with our
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needs, knowing that he sees us not as
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problems to be solved, but as beloved
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children to be cared for. May we set
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aside our tendency to complain and
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cultivate hearts of gratitude for what
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God has already given us. May we be
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vulnerable enough to admit when we are
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overwhelmed and wise enough to seek
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divine help. May we generously offer the
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little we have, trusting that God can
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multiply it for his glory. And may we
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always remember that the same God who
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fed the Israelites in the wilderness
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with mana, the same Jesus who multiplied
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loaves and fishes for the hungry
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multitude is with us today, ready to
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provide everything we need for the
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journey. May the grace of our Lord Jesus
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Christ, the love of God the Father, and
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the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
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with us all today and always. Amen.
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[Music]
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
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souls. Amen.
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[Music]
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[Music]