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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
