Cycle (B) 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Ex.16:2-4, 12-15; Eph 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35

Once there was a young hermit who lived as an ascetic in a forest.  He owned nothing except a pair of loincloths.  One morning, to his great disappointment, he found that mice had destroyed one of the loincloths.  He brought a cat to kill the mice and then a cow to give milk to the cat.  Later, as the cows multiplied, he hired a girl from the nearby village to look after the cows and to sell the extra milk in the village.  Finally, his ever-growing material needs prompted him to end his religious life, marry the girl and settle down as a farmer in the village.  This little story illustrates how easily the never-ceasing hunger for material things can take over our spiritual life.

Jesus fed the people with the loaves of bread and fish he had miraculously multiplied. The next morning, it did not take long for the crowd to realize that Jesus had disappeared. As such, they set out to Capernaum where Jesus and His disciples were known to resort. When they found Jesus on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Cycle (B) 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 2 Kg 4:42-44; Eph 4:1-6; Jn 6:1-15

There were times when Jesus desired to withdraw from the crowds. When the disciples returned from their first mission Jesus withdrew with them into privacy. Jesus went up into the hill behind the plain and he was sitting there with his disciples. Then the crowd began to appear. At the sight of the crowd Jesus' sympathy was kindled. They were hungry and tired, and they must be fed. No one asked Jesus to provide the crowd with food.  It was Jesus who first expressed his concern about the people's need for food.

Cycle (B) 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 Jer 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34

 Jesus sent out his disciples with the mission of bringing God's message to the people. When they came back from their mission they reported to Jesus all that they had done.  The demanding crowds were so insistent that they had no time even to eat; so Jesus took them to a lonely place that they might have peace and rest for a while.

Today's passage places before us the rhythm of the Christian life. Go out from the presence of God, into the presence of men, and return from the presence of men to the presence of God. It is like the rhythm of sleep and work.  We cannot work unless we have our time of rest; and sleep will not embrace anyone who has not worked until he is tired.

 This passage very clearly warns us against the danger of too constant activity. No man can work without rest;