Mark 8:1-10

1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34

Psalm 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22

Mark 8:1-10

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,

Jesus summoned the disciples and said,

“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,

because they have been with me now for three days

and have nothing to eat.

If I send them away hungry to their homes,

they will collapse on the way,

and some of them have come a great distance.”

His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread

to satisfy them here in this deserted place?”

Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

They replied, “Seven.”

He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.

Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,

and gave them to his disciples to distribute,

and they distributed them to the crowd.

They also had a few fish.

He said the blessing over them

and ordered them distributed also.

They ate and were satisfied.

They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.

There were about four thousand people.

He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples

and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are ever present as human history unfolds. From all eternity you have seen the ebb and flow of rebellion and repentance, pride and humility, selfishness and love. Call me back to your merciful love while I am rebellious. Humble me when I am prideful. Turn my eyes to those in need around me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Sin of the House of Jeroboam: After the death of Solomon in 930 B.C., the ten northern tribes of Israel rebelled against Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, and chose Jeroboam, a court official, to be their king. One of Jeroboam’s first concerns was that the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel – if they went on pilgrimage three times a year to the Temple in Jerusalem – would want to rejoin the southern Kingdom of Judah. And so, he set up rival forms of worship and appointed a rival priesthood. In a sin reminiscent of the sin of the first high priest Aaron (Exodus 32:4), Jeroboam commissioned not one but two golden calves to be made. He declared them to be the god who brought Israel out of Egypt. He placed one calf in Bethel, near the southern border of the Kingdom of Israel, and placed the second calf in Dan, near the northern border of the Kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam also established another feast for Israel, that occurred in the late fall, exactly one month after the pilgrimage Feast of Tabernacles. Jeroboam, it seems, stopped at nothing to keep his royal power, even if this meant leading the people of Israel into grave sin and idolatry.

2. The Feeding of the Four Thousand: In contrast to the corrupt heart of Jeroboam in the First Book of Kings, we see the merciful heart of Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus has already multiplied the five loaves of bread for the five thousand Israelites. Today, he multiplies seven loaves of bread for the four thousand in the Decapolis, in the Gentile territory east of the Sea of Galilee. Even though the disciples saw Jesus perform the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand earlier, they show today that they still struggle to believe and ask where they can find bread to satisfy the crowds. The words of the two miracles – blessing, giving thanks, breaking the bread, and giving the bread to his disciples – encourage us to look forward to the Last Supper, when Jesus will give the gift of the Eucharist, the gift of his Body and his Blood, to the universal Church. 

3. Worthily Receiving the Eucharist: In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul invites us to examine our consciences before receiving the Eucharist. (1 Corinthians 11:28). If we find ourselves in serious sin, we need to first receive forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If we are free of serious sin, we should know that the Eucharist will cleanse us of our venial sins and strengthen us to overcome sin in the future. The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but is a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 47).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, purify my heart today so that it welcomes you and your love. Thank you for the gift of the Eucharist, the memorial of your Passion and Resurrection. May I be united to you and share in your Body and Blood.

Resolution: When I examine my heart and conscience before receiving the Eucharist, what do I find? What sins have broken my relationship with God and with others? What good and meritorious actions have I done recently? What do I most desire in life?