HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME. (2)

HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME.

THEME: The feeding of the five thousand.

BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA.

*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Numbers 11:4-15
Psalm 80:12-17
Matthew 14:13-21

*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
GREEN

*INTRODUCTION*
Good morning dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate Monday of week 18 in Ordinary Time, Year A. In both of this morning’s readings, people feel overwhelmed by the situation in which they find themselves.

*FROM OUR FIRST READING*
In the first reading, Moses, faced with the hunger of the people who had come out of Egypt, complains to God, ‘Where am I to find meat to give to all this people?’

*FROM OUR GOSPEL READING*
In the gospel reading, the disciples of Jesus, faced with a hungry multitude in the wilderness, call on Jesus to send them away to the nearby villages so that they can buy themselves some food.

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*CONCLUSION*
Neither Moses nor the disciples could find within themselves the will to deal with the challenging situation before them. We can all find ourselves in that frame of mind from time to time. In the gospel reading, Jesus gently encourages his disciples to attend to the needs of the crowd rather than send them away, ‘give them something to eat yourselves’. The disciples end up producing a small amount of food from among the crowd, five loaves and two fish. It seems very inadequate to meet the demands of the situation. Yet, Jesus somehow manages to feed the crowd with the small resources that the disciples brought to him. Once the disciples did what they were capable of doing, the Lord did the rest. Sometimes all we can do in a situation is whatever it is we are capable of doing. It may seem very inadequate. Yet, if we bring our efforts to the Lord, if we open up our resources to him, small as they may seem, he will often work through those efforts, those resources, in ways that will surprise us. If we do something rather than nothing, the Lord will often do the rest.

*LET US PRAY*
Once again, Lord, you show us your goodness and kindness. The apostles turned to you and poured out their hearts. And you answered their prayers, giving them fruits beyond all measure. Lord, I want to pray as they prayed. I want to do what you ask as they did, in faith and love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA.

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