He gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass
REFLECTIONS TODAY
He gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass Does the imagery of the green grass evoke something? Indeed, it does! We can surely recall Psalm 23, the first part of which describes how God, like a shepherd, pastures the sheep and leads it to restful waters and green pastures. The sheep — the human being — is truly satisfied, and can declare that it desires nothing more.
The Gospel for today presents Jesus as the Good Shepherd (cf. Jn 10) by feeding the multitude.
There is a hole in a human person’s heart, an emptiness that needs to be filled. It is actually a longing for God that needs to be satisfied. The human person often makes the mistake of filling this gap with things of this world, things that pass. One tries to fill it with material things, wealth, power, honor, or fame, but none of these truly satisfies, for the human heart only craves for more.
This gap is infinite; it is insatiable if one tries to fill it with worldly goods. Only God, who is infinite, can fill this longing. It is only then that the soul is truly satisfied.
Gospel • MARK 6:34-44 34
When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2021,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.