"The Lord is always near"

His presence is a constant source of hope.

This solace, strength and peace offering a powerful anchor.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊      

Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10

Let the wilderness

 St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin

I am a nobody. I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the fail end, a leaf, and you send me to a place I would never visit. 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Isaiah 40:1-115g

Be comforted,

St. Francis Xavier, priest

It is impossible to find a saint who did not take the 'two p's' seriously – prayer and penance. 

The "two P's" refer to prayer, a direct form of communication with God,

and penance, which involves acts of self-discipline or atonement to show remorse and devotion.

1st Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10a

On this mountain the Lord Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained.

On this mountain he will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all nations, and death will be no more.

The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; he will take away the humiliation of his people all over the world: for the Lord has spoken.

On that day you will say: This is our God. We have waited for him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For on this mountain the hand of the Lord rests.

Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (6cd)

 I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Gospel: Matthew 15:29-37

From there, Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee, and then went up into the hills, where he sat down.

Great crowds came to him, bringing the dumb, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many with other infirmities.

People carried them to the feet of Jesus, and he healed them.

All were astonished when they saw the dumb speaking, the lame walking,

the crippled healed, and the blind able to see; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus called his disciples and said to them, "I am filled with compassion for these people;

they have already followed me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting,

or they may faint on the way." His disciples said to him, "And where shall we find enough bread in this wilderness to feed such a crowd?"

Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They answered, "Seven, and a few small fish."

Jesus ordered the people to sit on the ground. Then, he took the seven loaves and the small fish, and gave thanks to God.

He broke them and gave them to his disciples, who distributed them to the people.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the leftover pieces filled seven wicker baskets.

Reflection:

"He has pity on our weakness."

Huge crowds flock to Jesus, seeking healing. They wait for days for their opportunity to see him and be healed.

They are tired and weak with hunger, and Jesus feels "compassion for them" in their need.

The same words often appear in the letters of the great Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier.

He writes that he feels a "deep compassion" for those who have yet to accept Christ and for those who have obstructed him in his missionary work.

He also encourages his fellow missionaries to have a similar depth of compassion for those who are heavily burdened,

that they might readily supply them "comfort for the soul or supplies for the body."

Christ's feeding of the multitude tells us of the compassion and generosity of God.

He has pity on our weakness. He also works wonders through that weakness, even with the little we have to offer, and he turns it into abundance.

God made the efforts of Saint Francis Xavier produce abundant fruit. If we are sincere co-workers with Christ in his loving compassion, we too, will bear much fruit.

"Whoever takes Communion creates a home."

Suggests a permanent and intimate inhabitation,

It's the Holy Spirit making Christ present within a person's spirit.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1st Reading: Isaiah 4:2-6

On that day the Shoot of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious;

and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendor for the survivors of Israel.

Those who are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem will be called holy,

all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem,

when the Lord washes away the filth of the women of Zion and purges Jerusalem of the bloodstains

in its midst with the blast of searing judgment, the blast of fire.

Then will the Lord create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies a cloud of smoke

by day and a glow of fire by night. For the glory of the Lord will be a canopy and a pavilion for all,

a shade from the scorching heat by day, a refuge from the storm and rain.

Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊     

Matthew 8:5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum, an army captain approached him to ask his help, "Sir, my servant lies sick at home.

He is paralyzed and suffers terribly." Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

The captain answered, "I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order and my boy will be healed.

For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one, 'Go!'

he goes; and if I say to another, 'Come!' he comes; and if I say to my servant, 'Do this!' he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished; and said to those who were following him, "I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel.

I say to you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.

Gospel Reflection ：

"Whoever takes Communion creates a home."

Recent surveys have indicated a significant decrease in belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Yet, such a belief has been part of our Catholic faith from the very beginning. The Eucharist is no mere symbol,

but the living presence of Jesus, given to communicate and accomplish an intimate union with us, a communion with him and with his Church.

And so, when we come into the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, we bow, genuflect and kneel in recognition of his majesty and our lowliness.

Just as the Roman centurion says to Jesus, "I am not worthy to have you under my roof,"

so, in awe and wonder, we acknowledge our unworthiness to be in the Lord's presence and to receive him in Holy Communion.

Yet, our frailty and our need for his sustaining presence are the very reasons why Christ chose to give himself to us in the Eucharist in the first place.

We are not worthy, but Jesus wants to dwell with us, to make his home with us.

Blessed Carlo Acutis sums this up when he wrote, "Whoever takes Communion creates a home. A home together. Together under the same roof" with Christ.