Gospel for January 7, 2014, Tuesday

Sometimes it frustrates me when someone I know finds it hard to be kind to others. I am not rich. I do not have much in life but when it comes to sharing what I have, I usually do not need to give it a second thought. These people I know have more than enough. They can buy whatever they want. And yet when they give, they give only what is their excess. Multiplication of bread and loaves happened because people were touched by the grace of God to share what they were keeping with them. If only people these days can be touched just the same. 

Mother Teresa once said, “Give until it hurts.” For me it means giving until there is nothing left with you. It is not actual giving when there is still something left. Call it radical, but for me there is no other way for the miracle of fish and loaves to happen in this modern day and age if people do not empty themselves. That is the only way. Whatever happened to Tacloban? People were sharing but come to think of it, the real giving and sharing happened among the poor themselves. The rich took their part, but they are still rich and have enough to spend of their lavish parties, vacation abroad and million dollar bags and jewelries. People, poor like us, here in my province, gave what they had. Not their excess. I wonder what could dare the rich to start giving and stop worrying about not having enough.

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Posted at 01/07/2014 2:30 AM | Updated as of 01/07/2014 2:33 AM

Tuesday after Epiphany
Raymond of Peñafort
Psalter: Week 2
Ps 72:1–2, 3–4, 7–8
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
1st Reading: 1 Jn 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.

Gospel: Mk 6:34–44
As Jesus went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he had compas¬sion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

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 vil¬lages around here, to buy themselves something to eat.”
Jesus replied, “You, yourselves, give them something to eat.” They answered, “If we are to feed them, we need two hundred silver coins to go and buy enough 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 disci¬ples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them.

They all ate and everyone had enough. 43 The disciples gathered up what was left, and filled twelve bas-kets with broken pieces of bread and fish. Five thousand men had eaten there.