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:

Imagine Jesus is confronted with the
misery of His time. People who are neglected and in
their poverty try to fend for themselves. The various
ailments are arrayed before Him. And what did
Jesus do? He cured them. He does not give in to
despair. He healed them one sick person at a time.
This grit He will display throughout His ministry.
He is not alarmed at the sheer number of problems
in front of Him. He cures all that He can. And He does
not stop from there. He goes beyond the obvious
need of people. He knows they will be hungry in
the out of the way place. And so, He performs a
miracle. The feeding of the multitude of His time is
faithfully continued by His church in her sacramental
and pastoral life.