MEMORIAL OF ST. JOHN NEUMANN , BISHOP - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS 

The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives. LK:16





1 JOHN 4:7-10

My Soul's Beloved,

No one can fathom the incomprehensible love of God our Father, who sent You into the world as a willing Victim, a holocaust, in reparation for the sins of all, from the first to the last, from the greatest to the least.

The only acceptable response to the love of God who became incarnate, the Word made flesh who made His dwelling among us, is reciprocal love. Our whole life must be lived in contemplation of what God has done for us.

As the beloved disciple says, 

God’s love for us was revealed

when God sent into the world his only Son

so that we could have life through him;

this is the love I mean:

not our love for God,

but God’s love for us when he sent his Son

to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

The reason why we will be condemned when the age of mercy comes to an end, and we stand before the Throne of God's Justice is because we have failed to love God and neighbor as we ought to have done while there was yet time. As the disciple who leaned on Your breast says, 'Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love.' 

Love alone has the power to save because it endures forever -not even death can destroy love.

PSALM 72:1-4,7-8

My Soul's Beloved,

When all the world comes to the knowledge of this Truth that the Good News alone has the power to save, then all shall fall on their faces in adoration and worship before You, our Lord, and God.

You are the Lord, the King of Kings, our Savior, and Redeemer. To You, the Father has given the right to judge all the nations and all its peoples. You are the Son of Justice and all who have been denied justice in this life by the wicked will receive it in full measure on the day of judgment. 

The Church You founded has always taught her children to have the same preferential love You have for the poor, the weakest, and the least in the world. 

We long for the day of Your coming again in glory, when the peace that You came to give reigns in every corner of the world, among all nations, and all people. Until the dawning of that day, grant us the grace to live in peace with ourselves and with those around us.

MARK 6:34-44

My Soul's Beloved,

All four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John mention the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. Today the Church invites us to reflect on Mark's version. 

A large crowd was waiting expectantly on the shore for Your arrival. Aware of their great spiritual hunger, You took pity on them recognizing their need for true bread and a true shepherd You nourished them on the Word of God. 

They were spellbound and did not notice how quickly the daylight hours had sped and now it was getting dark. Mark says it was a lonely place and it was getting late. The disciples approached You, thinking it a good idea to disperse the crowds as they would be hungry by now and they could still get some food in the surrounding farms and villages on their way home. They looked at You dumbfounded when You said, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ 

They made a swift calculation of their funds and thought to give You a reality check. They answered, ‘Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?’ You responded by telling them to go and check the provisions they already had. They did and returned to You saying they had just five loaves and two fish, You ordered them to organize the people in groups and seat them on the green grass, and we see Psalm 23 come alive.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.

What You did next You will do again on the night before You died, at the Last Supper, when You instituted the Holy Eucharist. You took the five loaves and two fish, raised Your eyes to heaven, said the blessing, broke the loaves and handed it to the disciples to distribute among the people. Both the loaves and the fish were shared among them. And Mark writes, 'They all ate as much as they wanted. They collected twelve basketfuls of scraps of bread and pieces of fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.'

The twelve basketfuls of scraps left over from the loaves and fish represent the plenitude of Your Church, the twelve Apostles, and the Eucharist. Your Church will never run out of graces, blessings, and above all Heavenly Manna. She will feed all her children, until the end of time, and they will have as much as they want and will be satisfied.