August 2, 2026 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mt 14:13-21
Today is the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew presents us with the account of the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, which Jesus performed in the wilderness after the martyrdom of John the Baptist. I would like to offer some reflections on this occasion.
First, Matthew tells us: When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, He withdrew to a deserted place by boat. The crowds learned of this and followed Him on foot from their towns. When He disembarked and saw the vast crowd, He was moved with pity for them and healed their sick. (Cf. Mt 14:13-14)
Here, we see a familiar place, the wilderness. Those familiar with the Bible know that the wilderness is where man encounters God. There, “a voice of God” was once heard (Cf. Is 40:3; Mt 3:3). Today, our parish is that wilderness. When we come to church, we enter this wilderness—Jesus is waiting for us there, ready to heal us.
Next, Matthew records a dialogue between Jesus and His disciples: When evening came, the disciples approached Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to Him, “We have only five loaves and two fish.” Jesus replied, “Bring them here to me.” (Cf. Mt 14:15-18)
This narrative reveals to us a prefiguration of the Holy Eucharist. In the Sacred Liturgy, we often see the lay faithful bring forward produce from the local harvest, together with the bread and wine, handing them to the altar servers, who then present them to the celebrant. What the disciples did corresponds exactly to what we witness in the Eucharist today—they entrusted all that they had into the hands of Jesus.
What moves me most deeply is the series of actions Jesus took after taking the loaves and fish. Matthew tells us: Jesus directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed them, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn distributed them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. (Cf. Mt 14:19-20) These actions of Jesus are entirely consistent with the scene of the Last Supper recorded in Matthew’s Gospel (Cf. Mt 26:26-29) and perfectly mirror what the celebrating priest does in the Holy Eucharist today. In doing all this, Jesus calls us to imitate Him: to be grateful to God the Father, to acknowledge that everything we possess comes from Him, and to share selflessly the grace we have received freely with others, so that all may behold God’s mercy and the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus.
One final point is also of great importance. Matthew tells us: They picked up the fragments left over, filling twelve baskets. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Cf. Mt 14:21) This corresponds exactly to what we witness in the Eucharist: After receiving the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the priest, in obedience to the Savior’s command, carefully gathers any particles of the Sacred Host remaining on the altar, the corporal, and the purificator. He reverently commingles these fragments with the Precious Blood in the Chalice, consumes them, and then rinses the Chalice with water and drinks the ablution. Likewise, as Christians, after having received the Body and Blood of Christ, we must cherish this time of thanksgiving after Communion—uniting our hearts with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, listening attentively to His teachings, drawing grace from Him, and asking Him to send the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and guide us along the path of Christian perfection.
Draw near to your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit God, for ever and ever
August 1, 2026 Saint Alphonsus Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12
Today is Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time. Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Alphonsus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. The recently published Roman Missal tells us: St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) was born in Naples, Italy. After studying law, he received the divine call and was ordained a priest. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), dedicating himself to preaching the Gospel and directing missionary activities. In 1762, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Sant’ Agata dei Goti. He suffered greatly from illness throughout his life and endured divisions within his religious order. His prolific writings, especially his treatises on moral theology, earned him the honorific title of Doctor of the Church.
Today, the Scripture passage taken from the Gospel of Matthew recounts to us the martyrdom of John the Baptist. I would like to continue offering some reflections.
Sometimes, we too, like Herod, feel doubtful about all that John the Baptist did. We feel doubt, and even perplexity, because at that time, we look upon John the Baptist according to the logic of this present world, and we may even despise what he says, his clothing, and the worldview, outlook on life, and values he adheres to. I think Herod, when he heard John the Baptist accusing him of unlawfully taking the wife of his brother Philip, probably thought in this way as well. Yet, in his heart, he still respected John and wanted to protect him. However, in the end, he was weak like us, having various flaws, because he refused to accept the Kingdom of God preached by Jesus Christ, and refused to live according to what Jesus Christ taught.
In fact, when we had not yet known Christ, Christ the Lord, rich in mercy, just as He sent the prophet Jeremiah (cf. Jer 26:1-9), constantly sends to us our brothers and sisters who have received baptism into Christ, been reborn in Christ, and through receiving the Holy Spirit of God, share in Christ’s divinity, and in His offices of King, Priest, and Prophet. They come to our side, and according to our capacity for understanding, proclaim to us the Gospel of the Kingdom. They fulfill our various needs in life to the best of their ability. Whenever we experience the warmth they bring us, we too will become like them: receiving the same Baptism, the same Holy Spirit; in the Eucharist—which perpetually commemorates the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ in its fullness—listening to the Word of God, and receiving the Body of the same Christ, and the Blood of Christ in the same chalice. And from the Body and Blood of Christ, we draw abundant nourishment, gain strength, conquer death, and obtain eternal life.
We often forget that we are Christians, even thinking that being a Christian is merely a title, thus forgetting the precious gift God has bestowed upon us—our vocation. Because we almost forget Christ, who is infinitely merciful, and who sacrificed Himself on the Cross in order to save us from sin, so that through His sacred Blood poured out on the Cross, we might be reconciled with the Father and with the world He created. Whenever we stumble and fall in worldly matters in our daily lives, we are adding to the sufferings of Christ. Sometimes, we even resemble the crowd in the synagogue of Jesus’ hometown, despising the truth of the Kingdom of God revealed to us by God through His Church, built upon the rock of St. Peter (cf. Mt 16:18-19). Because, like Herodias, we follow the foolish impulses of the flesh; not only do we plunge ourselves into death, but through our neighbors, we also take away the lives of others (cf. Mt 13:6-8) and take pleasure in it.
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! What we ought to seek first is the Kingdom of God and the freedom of the children of God. Let us always follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that we may live within all the graces God has bestowed upon us and no longer be negatively affected in our faith by the ruler of this world and his agents. Whenever we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we live in the abundant grace of Christ, the Light of the World. Through receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we draw abundant graces from the treasury of Christ’s grace. After receiving all that Christ bestows upon us, we ought to live out the joy of the Gospel in our lives, so that everyone, through all that we do, may feel God’s abundant love for them in their daily lives. Together with us, on this land flowing with milk and honey—upon which St. John and countless holy Martyrs and Blessed have shed their blood—and like innumerable predecessors, let us courageously proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world and lead all people back to God.
O God, who constantly raise up in your Church new examples of virtue, grant that we may follow so closely in the footsteps of the Bishop Saint Alphonsus in his zeal for souls as to attain the same rewards that are his in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
July 31, 2026 Saint Ignatius of Loyola (Memorial) Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58
Today is Friday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time. Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The recently published Missal tells us: Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was born into a noble family at Loyola. He was wounded at the battle of Pamplona (1521) and experienced a conversion during his convalescence. He went on to write the Spiritual Exercises, studied theology at Paris, and, with his companions, founded the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits have had a huge impact on the reform of the Church, the education of the young, and the preaching of the Gospel to every corner of the world.
Today’s passage from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew presents us with the narrative of Jesus being rejected in the synagogue of His hometown.
We all know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. When Saint Joseph brought Him back from Egypt, He lived in Nazareth until the day of His public appearance (cf. Luke 2:51). The Jews in Nazareth were very familiar with Jesus and His family. Since Nazareth was a very remote place, the Jews there received the education of the rabbis. The world of God taught by those rabbis was one of a God of clear reward and punishment: He only favored those who offered sacrifice to Him and punished anyone who did not. When they heard Jesus’ teaching, they were astonished, but because they knew Jesus’ background, they began to shame Him because of His origins.
Often we are like those in the synagogue of Jesus’ hometown who listened to His teaching, judging the brothers and sisters who proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom to us based on our own human understanding. In our eyes, those brothers and sisters who proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom are, like us, created by God in His own image, and have no extraordinary qualities. We might even think that some of them are less knowledgeable than we are, and therefore we question in our hearts everything they proclaim to us. Like those in today’s Gospel who took offense at Him (cf. Matthew 13:57), we reject all that they proclaim to us and continue to live according to our own will.
However, the compassionate Father has fully revealed Himself to us through His beloved Son. For “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has revealed Him” (John 1:18). He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, upholding all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). In the fullness of His grace, through the Baptism we have received—washed once and for all in the blood and water flowing from His sacred side—we have been cleansed of original sin and united to Him, and through His glorious Resurrection, we have begun a new life in Him. After He was taken up into heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to His pilgrim Church, so that together with all the brothers and sisters who have received the Baptism of Christ, died with Christ, and begun a new life in Him, we may receive the Holy Spirit who proceeds from Him and the Father. Through the Holy Spirit we have received, we share in the communion of saints, together with the heavenly saints, partaking in His eternal divine life.
O God, who raised up Saint Ignatius of Loyola in your Church to further the greater glory of your name, grant that by his help we may imitate him in fighting the good fight on earth and merit to receive with him a crown in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
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