The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to act in the love of God to “feed the multitudes” relying on the gifts of faith, hope, and charity we receive in our relationship with Christ.
The reading from the First Letter of John declares that God Is Love.
* [4:7–12] Love as we share in it testifies to the nature of God and to his presence in our lives. One who loves shows that one is a child of God and knows God, for God’s very being is love; one without love is without God. The revelation of the nature of God’s love is found in the free gift of his Son to us, so that we may share life with God and be delivered from our sins. The love we have for one another must be of the same sort: authentic, merciful; this unique Christian love is our proof that we know God and can “see” the invisible God. (1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 72 is a prayer for Guidance and Support for the King.
* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts. (Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Mark describes the Feeding of the Five Thousand.
* [6:35–44] See note on Mt 14:13–21. Compare this section with Mk 8:1–9. The various accounts of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, two each in Mark and in Matthew and one each in Luke and in John, indicate the wide interest of the early church in their eucharistic gatherings; see, e.g., Mk 6:41; 8:6; 14:22; and recall also the sign of bread in Ex 16; Dt 8:3–16; Ps 78:24–25; 105:40; Wis 16:20–21.
* [6:40] The people…in rows by hundreds and by fifties: reminiscent of the groupings of Israelites encamped in the desert (Ex 18:21–25) and of the wilderness tradition of the prophets depicting the transformation of the wasteland into pastures where the true shepherd feeds his flock (Ez 34:25–26) and makes his people beneficiaries of messianic grace.
* [6:41] On the language of this verse as eucharistic (cf. Mk 14:22), see notes on Mt 14:19, 20. Jesus observed the Jewish table ritual of blessing God before partaking of food. (Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Barbara Dilly reminds us of the love that God has for us, a love that has no limits, no boundaries.
Whenever we feel down, depressed, unworthy or unloved it is worth reminding ourselves of this abundant love that is freely given to us. May the experience of this love fill us with gratitude and the willingness to be channels of it in our world, that so desperately needs it. (Dilly, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “The Lord fills all things with blessing from above,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"So that by every means the Lord might be known to be God by nature, he multiplies what is little, and he looks up to heaven as though asking for the blessing from above. Now he does this out of the divine economy, for our sakes. For he himself is the one who fills all things, the true blessing from above and from the Father. But, so that we might learn that when we are in charge of the table and are preparing to break the loaves, we ought to bring them to God with hands upraised and bring down upon them the blessing from above, he became for us the beginning and pattern and way." (excerpt from FRAGMENT 177) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 6:34-44 asks us to imagine what must have been running through the disciples’ minds as the scene in today’s Gospel unfolded.
It’s always Jesus who does the lion’s share of the work, yet he happily uses whatever we offer him to increase his blessings. So go ahead and give the Lord whatever you can. Then watch how he multiplies your efforts.
“Jesus, I know that the needs on my heart are on your heart as well. Show me how I can join in your work.” (Meditation on Mark 6:34-44, n.d.)
The commentary from Friar Jude Winkler was not available at publication time.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Dr. Elaine Heath who writes a letter to the church today. She imagines the possibilities on the other side of our anxiety.
Beloved church, can we agree to let God have our anxiety? God knows how hard it is for us to let go. We simply have to be willing to be made willing. Just a tiny degree of openness allows God to work with us—like dandelion seeds. They blow on the wind, fall into every crack … and before you know it a parking lot is in full bloom. Church, do you realize we are on the cusp of a new Great Awakening? And it looks like a spiritual dandelion explosion as far as the eye can see. God’s new thing is networked, exponential, Spirit-breathed, decentralized, a vast planting of small communities of faith…. It is very much the work of laypeople, and it is emerging as a natural progression out of the church that used to be….
I know if we will say yes to God, we can rely on God’s already having said yes to us. So let’s go together, all of us, in the direction that God leads. When that happens, the world will know that Jesus spoke the truth, that God’s love is for everyone. People will encounter the real tradition, the tradition behind the tradition, because they will experience it in us. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the abundance of Love that we encounter in our relationship with God and seek the inspiration of the Spirit as agents for distribution of love to others.
References
Dilly, B. (2025, January 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/010725.html
Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?34
Meditation on Mark 6:34-44. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/01/07/1175384/
1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4?7
Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/72?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). People Change the Church. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/people-change-the-church/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jan7
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