We have just entered the Season of Advent, which leads us toward the celebration of the Incarnation, the mystery of God taking on human nature to reveal the great love that the Creator has for all his creation and announce and usher in the Kingdom of God.

Today’s readings give us a clearer vision of God’s relationship to all peoples. The first reading, often proclaimed at funerals, offers us a glimpse into the Messianic Kingdom in which all will be well.

In today’s Gospel, we read that a massive crowd followed Jesus up the mountain. We once again read that many of those who followed him brought to Jesus their loved ones who were mute, deformed, lame, blind, and who suffered from other disorders. They laid them at his feet, and Jesus cured them all. He then looked out at the crowd, who had followed him for three days, “My heart is filled with pity for them.” With seven loaves of bread and a few fishes, he miraculously feeds them all.

What jumps out of these two readings is that people are nourished with food; in the Messianic Kingdom, they are offered a “feast of rich food and fine wine;” on the hillside, the hungry are miraculously fed with bread and fish.

The night before he died, Jesus fed his disciples with bread and wine, telling them that this was his Body and Blood, which would be broken and poured out for them. As in the early readings, food is a sign of the Kingdom. But on that night, it was no longer a sign. The bread and wine became his body and blood. For all generations to come, this would be his disciples’ nourishment for their mission to be broken and poured out in the service of others.

Let Us Pray:

Jesus, you have given us sacramentally that body and blood which you poured out on the cross for our redemption. Grant that each time we celebrate this sacred meal, we will experience an abundance of your grace to go forth and live what we have received in loving service to those most in need of your love and friendship. Amen.