Daily Catholic Reflection: January 5, 2020, Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

1 Jn 4:7-10;

Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8;

Mk 6:34-44 Full Readings

Saint John Neumann

 Love Leads to Charity

Dear, today's first reading talks about the love of God which should be an example for us to imitate in living in love with one another. The Gospel in turn shows us the effect of love and mercy of Jesus Christ on the hungry crowd as he feeds the five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fish. This shows that the love which God inspires in us leads and must lead to Charity. This is also what Jesus, during his mission, was showing and teaching us: if we claim that we love God, let us live in that love and show that love in action through Charity, to others.

St John in the first reading tells us that love comes from God and so we need to love one another. One who doesn't love his fellow, does not know God in any instance, for God is love and one who lives in and knows God must live in love and show that love to others. We cannot also claim to love others if we don't show that love in action, in the same way that Jesus did in the gospel today by feeding the hungry crowd. 

The story of feeding the crowd  can be read on several levels. It is a foretaste of the Eucharist, the disciples gathered round Jesus as the new Israel (12 baskets for the 12 tribes) for a fully satisfying meal, the messianic banquet. Jesus is the good shepherd who feeds his flock, according to Psalm 23, on the green pastures beside the restful waters of the Lake of Galilee. Jesus is the prophet like Moses who provides manna for his people in the desert, or more exactly like Elisha in 2 Kings 4 (next Sunday’s first reading). The story is recounted in terms which deliberately recall these and other biblical scenes, concentrating more on the meaning than on the historical facts. There must, of course, have been a wonderful feeding at the base of the story, but it is difficult to re-establish exactly what this was. What remains is that Jesus showed his love and mercy to the crowd, which is an invitation for us to show mercy, charity to others especially those we claim to love. 

We offer the little we have, we don't need much for us to do charity. The five loaves and two fish that the disciples found were practically nothing in the face of five thousand hungry people. Just like the disciples, there will be times when we feel that we have very little, even nothing, to offer to the Lord. But as we have seen in the Gospel, God accepts whatever we can offer to him, however small or humble it may be in our own eyes, and multiplies it into something that can feed a multitude. As St. Therese of Lisieux says, even the smallest act of penance or charity can bring about an abundance of grace if done out of love for God and neighbor. How beautiful it is to offer Christ our nothingness, and to watch with wonder as he blesses it and turns it into something that gives life to others.

Let us Pray

Almighty Father, increase in me the love of you and my neighbor for I know when I live in love you are with me since you yourself is love. May this love move me to do acts of charity in any way I can, so that everyone will come to experience your love through me. Amen

Be blessed