＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊      　

Isaiah 25:6-10a

 On this mountain

Yahweh Sa­ba­­oth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained.  On this mountain he will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all na­tions, and death will be no more.

The Lord Yahweh will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; he will take away the humiliation of his people all over the world: for Yahweh has spoken.

 On that day you will say: This is our God. We have waited for him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For on this mountain the hand of Yahweh rests.

 

Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

I shall live in the house of the Lord, All the days of my life.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Matthew 15:29-37

 From there Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee, and then went up into the hills where he sat down.   Great crowds came to him, bringing the dumb, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many with other infirmities.

The people carried them to the feet of Jesus, and he healed them.   All were astonished when they saw the dumb speaking, the lame walking, the crippled healed and the blind able to see; so they glorified the God of Israel.

 Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “I am filled with compassion for these people; they have already followed me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they may faint on the way.”

 His disciples said to him, “And where shall we find enough bread in this wilderness to feed such a crowd?”   Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They answered, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

 So Jesus ordered the people to sit on the ground.   Then he took the seven loaves and the small fish and gave thanks to God. He broke them and gave them to his disciples, who distributed them to the peo­ple.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the leftover broken pieces filled seven wicker baskets.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Imagine Jesus is confronted with the misery of His time. People who are neglected and in their poverty try to fend for themselves. The various ailments are arrayed before Him. And what did Jesus do? He cured them.

He does not give in to despair. He healed them one sick person at a time. This grit He will display throughout His ministry. He is not alarmed at the sheer number of problems in front of Him. He cures all that He can.

And He does not stop from there. He goes beyond the obvious need of people. He knows they will be hungry in the out of the way place. And so, He performs a miracle. The feeding of the multitude of His time is faithfully continued by His church in her sacramental and pastoral life.