Welcoming the Holy
Here we invite you to take time for yourself in personal prayer. The following spiritual reflection offers words and images which we hope will evoke for you an experience of God.
By: Sister Joan Sobala
“You give them something to eat.” Matthew 14.18
Opening Prayer
Father of Jesus, the sadness of Your Son, Jesus, must have been immense as he absorbed the news that his beloved cousin, John the Baptist, was beheaded. Jesus did what we all do: He remembered the precious moment when He and John met at the healing waters. May we do in like manner – remembering when we were stirred to new life because we had met holy people who inspired us to be more than we thought we could be. We see how Jesus wanted to go away by himself when the news came, but the needs of people drew him out. May we allow ourselves to be drawn out in the presence of human need. May the Holy Spirit give us courage to do so. Amen.
Reflection
Faced with the death of John, Jesus knew that there were implications for him, too. Facing the future, Jesus went off to pray, as an unnamed poet says: “to let life’s empty reservoirs fill up as slowly as rain fills an empty, upturned cup.” The crowd followed him to the lonely place where Jesus sought time to pray. When he saw them, Jesus was roused to compassion. Sorrow over death gave way to the needs of the living.
Jesus knew and internalized today’s psalm which says: “The eyes of all look hopefully to you. You give them food in due season.”(Psalm 145.15)
At first, the disciples tried to avoid the eyes of those who looked hopefully to them. But Jesus gave them the courage to share what seemed to be meagre available food. They lost nothing, but gained everything in being generous. No wonder this story is told no less than six times in the Gospel.
Closing Prayer
Loving God, You created us with thirst and needs, which we cannot satisfy ourselves. Others help us, doing more than we could even imagine. All of this is so that we might live fully with Christ. In the heart of this summertime, may we choose to help others in any way we can to feed their hungers and assuage their thirsts. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
