Reflection for January 6 Tuesday after Epiphany: Mark 6:34-44

Gospel: Mark 6:34-44

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late.

Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?”

He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all.

They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

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Reflection:

When Jesus saw the vast crowd persistently following Him, He was moved with compassion. That compassion flowed from His infinite love for the people. And from that love came action—Jesus did not merely feel compassion; He allowed it to move Him to act. With only five loaves and two fish, He fed everyone, and there was more than enough left over.

This is how Jesus loves us: with a heart full of compassion and a love that is alive and active. Yet, are we truly mindful of this love that He has been pouring out upon us all these years? Do we pause to acknowledge the depth of His love and the tenderness of His compassion for us? Jesus fed more than five thousand not simply to satisfy their hunger, but because He loved them—and He loves us in the same way.

There are times—perhaps oftentimes—when we forget this infinite love of Jesus. Still, even when we forget Him, His love never fades. His compassion remains ever present, patiently waiting for us to return. It is always there for us to receive and to claim, freely given, with no price to pay and no ransom required.

Let us, therefore, claim this priceless gift of love by being present at the Eucharistic Celebration, the Holy Mass. There, Jesus waits for us, ready to nourish us, to heal us, and to fill our empty and sometimes wandering hearts.

Do we come to the Eucharist merely out of habit, or do we come with hearts open and ready to receive the loving compassion of Jesus who longs to fill us once again? Marino J. Dasmarinas