St. John Neumann, bishop 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

1 John 4:7-10

My dear friends,

let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Those who do not love have not known God, for God is love.  How did the love of God appear among us?

God sent his only Son into this world that we might have life through him. This is love: not that we loved God but that he first loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

 

Ps 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8

Lord every nation on earth will adore you.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Mark 6:34-44

As Jesus went ashore he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began a long teaching session with them. It was now getting late, so his disciples came to him and said, “This is a lonely place and it is now late. 

You should send the people away and let them go to the farms and villages around here to buy themselves something to eat.”  Jesus replied, “You yourselves give them something to eat.” They answered, “If we are to give them food, we must go and buy two hundred silver coins’ worth of bread.”

But Jesus said, “You have some loaves: how many? Go and see.” The disciples found out and said, “There are five loaves and two fish.” Then he told them to have the people sit down together in groups on the green grass.

This they did in groups of hundreds and fifties. And Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish and, raising his eyes to heaven, he pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves and hand­ed them to his disciples to dis­tribute to the people. He also ­divided the two fish among them.

 They all ate and everyone had enough. The disciples gath­ered up what was left and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of bread and fish. Five thousand men had eaten there.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Many people today long for someone to teach them the way. That’s why many sects, cults and other groups abound to address this hunger. The problem is, not all of them can answer this deep need for direction and purpose in life.

Only Jesus has the words of eternal life. Alas we have a great lack of workers in God’s vineyard. That is why the world is slowly overwhelmed by false teachers.

If we but take up our role as Teachers impressed upon us during our baptism, the world would be a better place for those who search for God. May God give us the courage to be teachers to others in word and deed, so that there will be less hungry people in the world for the Word that gives life.