FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT
On this Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday, Lent is half over and the traditional Gospel for today's Mass (John 6:1-15) gives us a foretaste of Easter joy!
A great crowd followed Jesus to the other side of the sea of Galilee. (I wonder how they managed to get there so fast, without trampling on each other.) Our Lord tried to be alone, to have some private talks with His disciples, but the people wanted signs, healing of the sick.
It was an enormous crowd, about five thousand men, not counting the woman and children.
The disciples started to get nervous. The people were hungry. What can they do for them? Philip exclaimed: "Two hundred denarii worth of bread could not feed them all!"
Then Andrew brings up a young boy who has five barley loaves and two fishes. (I eat more than that at Red Lobster.)
Jesus said: "Make the people recline."
Now comes the best part of the story: Jesus then took the loaves and the fishes, broke and blessed them and gave thanks to His Father in heaven, He then distributed them to the people. Everyone received a portion with twelve baskets of bread and fish left over.
(What, no doggie bags!)
The people were amazed at this sign which Jesus had worked, they said: "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world." They wanted to crown Jesus king, right then and there, but Our Lord fled from their presence and went up on a mountain by Himself.
So here we have a foreshadowing of the Eucharist, which is multiplied on every altar in the world. And this is the joy of Easter, born from Christ's Sacred Passion, when at the Last Supper He instituted the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the holy priesthood of the New Covenant, enabling us to receive the 'Bread of Life' this day and every day of our life!
PRAYER
O Merciful God, we never fail to be nourished by Your Sacrament.
May we offer It with true devotion and receive It always with faith.
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
God saves me, Jesus enlightens me, the Holy Spirit is my life, thus I fear nothing.
Deacon John
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