Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome 

＊＊＊1st Reading＊＊＊Numbers 11: 4b-15

Now the rabble that was among them had greedy desires and even the Israelites wept and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? 

We remember the fish we ate without cost in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and garlic. Now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at, nothing but manna.”Now the manna was like coriander seed and had the appearance of bedellium. The people went about gathering it up and then ground it between millstones or pounded it in a mortar. They boiled it in a pot and made cakes with it which tasted like cakes made with oil.  As soon as dew fell at night in the camp, the manna came with it.

Moses heard the people crying, family by family at the entrance to their tent and Yahweh became very angry. This displeased Moses.  Then Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Is it because you do not love me that you burdened me with this people?  Did I conceive all these people and did I give them birth?

And now you want me to carry them in my bosom as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their fathers?  Where would I get meat for all these people, when they cry to me saying: ‘Give us meat that we may eat?’  I cannot, myself alone, carry all these people; the burden is too heavy for me. Kill me rather than treat me like this, I beg of you, if you look kindly on me, and let me not see your anger.”

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 14: 13-21

^{whene Jesus hears of it, he set out by} boat for a secluded place. to be alone. But the people heard of it, and they followed him on foot from their towns.  When Jesus went ashore, he saw the crowd gathered there and he had compassion on them. And he healed their sick.Late in the afternoon, his disciples came to him and said, “We are in a lonely place and it is now late.

You should send these people away, so they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to eat.”But Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.”   They answered, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes.”  Jesus said to them, “Bring them here to me.”

Then he made everyone sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fishes, raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced the blessing, broke the loaves and handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people. And they all ate, and everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the leftovers, filling twelve baskets.  About five thousand men had eaten there besides women and children.

 

Reflection gospel：

“YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.”

The material poverty being experienced by the poor sector of our society, particularly lack of food, water, and a decent place to live in, is an indication of the continuing work of the Church to realize the reign of God on Earth.

Jesus’ command to the disciples to “give them something to eat” extends to the contemporary Church, which claims to be a “church of the poor”. This command originates from his compassionate and loving heart, and it is well received by the Church which acts in the same love and compassion to care for the Body of Christ. In like manner, we are our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers, individually sharing in this command of Jesus.

Being true to the command would mean, in our time, reaching out to others in times of need to alleviate their suffering and to lift them up from inhumane condition, and to help give back their dignity as a human person, as daughters and sons of the living God. the command could also be extended to the care, protection and preservation of natural resources that aid in the production of food, water and other things that meet basic needs, and their means of livelihood that are dependent on natural sources.