Monday of 18th Week in Ordinary Time
ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, Bishop, Doctor
A brilliant lawyer at 17, St. Alphonsus (1696-1787)decided to become a priest after losing a court case and to devote himself to the evangelization of the poor. For this purpose, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) to preach “parish missions” to them. He is rightly famous for his balanced moral theology, which was the standard work for a whole era and helped to attenuate the rigorism of Jansenism. His sanctity grew in the trials of his work and of his difficulties with his own congregation, which even expelled him. But nothing could separate him from the love of God.
First Reading: Jeremiah 28:1-17
that same year (it was in the fifth month of King Zedekiah’s fourth year) Hananiah son of Azzur, a prophet from Gibeon, confronted Jeremiah in the Temple of God in front of the priests and all the people who were there. Hananiah said:
“This Message is straight from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: ‘I will most certainly break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Before two years are out I’ll have all the furnishings of God’s Temple back here, all the things that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon plundered and hauled off to Babylon. I’ll also bring back Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the exiles who were taken off to Babylon.’ God’s Decree. ‘Yes, I will break the king of Babylon’s yoke. You’ll no longer be in harness to him.’”
Prophet Jeremiah stood up to prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people who were in God’s Temple that day. Prophet Jeremiah said, “Wonderful! Would that it were true—that God would validate your preaching by bringing the Temple furnishings and all the exiles back from Babylon. But listen to me, listen closely. Listen to what I tell both you and all the people here today: The old prophets, the ones before our time, preached judgment against many countries and kingdoms, warning of war and disaster and plague. So any prophet who preaches that everything is just fine and there’s nothing to worry about stands out like a sore thumb. We’ll wait and see. If it happens, it happens—and then we’ll know that God sent him.”
At that, Hananiah grabbed the yoke from Jeremiah’s shoulders and smashed it. And then he addressed the people: “This is God’s Message: In just this way I will smash the yoke of the king of Babylon and get him off the neck of all the nations—and within two years.” Jeremiah walked out.
Later, sometime after Hananiah had smashed the yoke from off his shoulders, Jeremiah received this Message from God: “Go back to Hananiah and tell him, ‘This is God’s Message: You smashed the wooden yoke-bars; now you’ve got iron yoke-bars. This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s own God: I’ve put an iron yoke on all these nations. They’re harnessed to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They’ll do just what he tells them. Why, I’m even putting him in charge of the wild animals.’”
So prophet Jeremiah told prophet Hananiah, “Hold it, Hananiah! God never sent you. You’ve talked the whole country into believing a pack of lies! And so God says, ‘You claim to be sent? I’ll send you all right—right off the face of the earth! Before the year is out, you’ll be dead because you fomented sedition against God.’”
Prophet Hananiah died that very year, in the seventh month.
Gospel – Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick. Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper.” But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.” “All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said. Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.
Prayer
Loving God,
St. Alphonsus Liguori was a shepherd
who did all he could to lead God’s people to you,
especially the poor and the simple.
Give us shepherds like him,
who show the human face of Christ
and who can therefore attract people
with gentleness and concern
to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Reflection:
1 August 2022
Matthew 14: 13-21
Running away is not an option
Today the Church celebrates the memoria of 17th century saint, Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. He dedicated much of his time serving the poor and the needy in his community, as a priest caring for the spiritual needs of the people, being engaged and in touch with their plight and troubles.
To run away from disturbing and frustrating life situations is a natural human tendency. This is what we find in the response of the disciples: That the crowd was too large and, time was too late and they were in a deserted a place – they did not want to take up the burden of caring for such a multitude. So, they suggest to Jesus: Dismiss the crowds and let them find food for themselves.
It looks quite normal to us, because the disciples are our representatives, who think and behave like us. While explaining this story as recorded in the Gospel according to John, Fr. Armellini said, Jesus sees the multitude, he sees the needs of the hungry; and he gives a clear invitation to his disciples as well, to look up from their little world, give up their selfishness, and become aware of the reality of hunger, miseries, sufferings and violence. This is not the world that God wanted.
Jesus experienced the hunger of humanity, not only for food, but for all the needs that must be satisfied to be fully human. The life of a sick person, or a lonely and abandoned person, or someone o who lacks affection, the one who faces injustice, the homeless and jobless and the one who cannot build up a family – such a life cannot be fully human. How to satiate all these forms of hungers of humanity?
The disciples suggest that to care for the hungers of humanity is beyond their capabilities. It would be better if they go away and buy their own food. This is the logic of the market – Sending them away would be the safest and convenient option for the disciples, but convenience is not a criterion in the world of Jesus. Could these poor peasants afford to buy food? Only those who have money and are capable of going in search of food, could afford to buy it in the market. That is the survival of the strongest.
Jesus teaches a different set of values, where turning away from the cry of the needy and running away from ones responsibilities are certainly not a Christian option. The miracle of feeding the 5000 people teaches us one simple truth: The wealth or treasures that we have in our hands do not belong to us. Everything belongs to God, and we act as good administrators of the goods given to us. .