18th Sunday of Ordinary Times

Readings for:18th Sunday of Ordinary Times, Year A

Reading 1    Isaiah 55:1-3 

Psalm          Psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18 

Reading 2   Romans 8:35, 37-39 

Gospel        Matthew 14:13-21    

REFLECTIONS:… from Father Daniel     

     Theme of this Sunday: Christ Satisfies Our Hunger. The first reading tells us about God’s promise that one day he will organize a banquet for all people. The Gospel, through the multiplication of the loaves, shows us the fulfillment of that prophecy; it is Jesus who feeds us. The second reading assures us that no obstacle can stop God’s plan of salvation becoming reality.

In the Gospel we hear how Jesus responded to the needs of the people who came to him. He sees them like sheep without a shepherd and begins to feed them. What he offers them fills them with hope and joy. He meets their need for healing. He touches their emptiness. They stay around until evening, far away from any food. St. Matthew describes Jesus feeding the people by telling us: “ he took bread, said the blessing, broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples.” The connection with the Eucharist is obvious and deliberate. In the Eucharist, Jesus makes his love for the crowd concrete. He has already fed their hearts and now he feeds their bodies. The abundant feast mirrors the feast of Isaiah in the first reading. Free food and drink, and lots of it, come from our covenant with God. Life, life in abundance, springs from Yahweh’s love. Jesus fulfills that love and brings life to God’s people. As St. Matthew tells us about the miracle of the loaves and fishes, he wants us to be aware of how Jesus feeds us in a miraculous way in the Eucharist. We only need to listen and the Lord will fill us with the same life, life in abundance. St. Augustine said, “A great and noble friendship makes us better persons, and in a christian context, brings us closer to God.” And, Pope Leo XIV said, “Soccer also helps us remember something very important: that life is not a race to be run in solitude; it is something played as a team, and we must learn to run together.”