The daily Word of God
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025
Saint Francis Xavier, Priest
Mt 15:29-37 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd."
First Reading: Is 25:6-10a
On this mountain the Lord of hosts
will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord God will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the Lord for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R./ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R./ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R./ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R./ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for years to come.
R./ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life
Gospel Reading: Mt 15:29-37
At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and sat down there.
Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,
and many others.
They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.
The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,
the deformed made whole,
the lame walking,
and the blind able to see,
and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way.”
The disciples said to him,
“Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?”
Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
gave thanks, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over – seven baskets full.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Even though He always surprises us, the God Jesus speaks about is a God of consistency, the One who cannot deny Himself. In the book of Numbers, not often read in the liturgy, we see Moses asking the Lord “that the community may not be like sheep without a shepherd” (Numbers 27:17). And the prophet Zechariah gives the answer: “The Lord of hosts will care for His flock” (Zechariah 10:3). At some point, Jesus could say to the crowd: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled among you.”
Today’s Gospel comes to us in two parts placed side by side: a general summary of Jesus’ healing activity and a specific story—the multiplication of the loaves. Both pieces complement each other in their message: the God Jesus reveals is the God of life, of love, of compassion. The prophets had already sensed this: He would destroy death, wipe away the tears from every eye… God cannot bear human suffering. From Isaiah 65:19, God is committed that “the sound of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in Jerusalem.”
Through different signs, Jesus makes visible the Father’s commitment. When John the Baptist’s messengers ask if He is the one to come (Matthew 11:4ff), He invites them to look and listen: “Go and tell John what you see and hear: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor receive the good news” (Matthew 11:4ff). Surely the evangelist shaped Jesus’ story with Isaiah’s model in mind, seeking the best correspondence. But Jesus’ healing activity, whatever its scope, cannot be denied—even His enemies did not deny it; they simply twisted its meaning: “On the eve of Passover, Jesus was hanged for practicing sorcery and leading Israel astray” (Babylonian Talmud).
The miraculous feeding of the crowd needs little comment, since it is so familiar to us. The early Church told it repeatedly, perhaps every time it celebrated the Lord’s Supper. That is why the accounts resemble each other: “Jesus gave thanks, took the bread, broke it, and gave it to them” (Matthew 15:36 = 26:26).
In both cases, Jesus is the full manifestation of Yahweh, giving life to His people and healing their wounds. And the Church constantly confesses its faith: where Jesus is, there is life. He adds other words: “Whoever comes to me will never hunger or thirst” (John 6:35). How sad that some thinkers have rejected God because they only saw Him as a fearful watchman! Perhaps preachers and theologians are partly to blame; it is not very attractive to repeat the refrain from Calderón de la Barca’s Great Theater of the World: “Do good, because God is God.” That does not reflect the joyful experience of living with the presence and support of the friendly God who always accompanies us with tenderness. Let us not miss this: the multiplication of the loaves was always told in the pattern of the Exodus—God guiding His people through the desert and feeding their hunger with manna. That is our Eucharist, that is our way of living.
Your brother,
Severiano Blanco, C.M.F. ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary
Memorial
Introduction
One of the original group of followers of Ignatius, Francis Xavier (1506-1552) became the first and perhaps the greatest missionary of the Jesuits. After sowing the seeds of the Gospel in many parts of Southeast Asia, he began the work of the evangelization in Japan, the fruits of which were so cruelly destroyed later. He died on the way to China.
It is good to remember today a person who took the word of Christ literally: Go out and preach the Gospel to the whole world.
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
the feast of St. Francis Xavier,
patron saint of missionaries, prompts us to pray
for all those who commit themselves
to sow the seeds of your Good News
all over the world:
Give us many of these dedicated men and women
and make them not only people
who zealously proclaim your word
not only by what they say
but especially by the way they live it.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God,
you have enriched our lives
with the message and the very life
of your Son, Jesus Christ.
May we show our loving gratitude
by doing all we can to share these gifts
with people far and near,
that one day we may all sit together
at the same table of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
in this Eucharistic celebration
you have let us enjoy the light
of the word of Jesus, your Son.
May people from all cultures
live one day in this light
and become aware that they are all
your sons and daughters
whom you love in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary
Memorial
December 3
Introduction
One of the original group of followers of Ignatius, Francis Xavier (1506-1552) became the first and perhaps the greatest missionary of the Jesuits. After sowing the seeds of the Gospel in many parts of Southeast Asia, he began the work of the evangelization in Japan, the fruits of which were so cruelly destroyed later. He died on the way to China.
It is good to remember today a person who took the word of Christ literally: Go out and preach the Gospel to the whole world.
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
the feast of St. Francis Xavier,
patron saint of missionaries, prompts us to pray
for all those who commit themselves
to sow the seeds of your Good News
all over the world:
Give us many of these dedicated men and women
and make them not only people
who zealously proclaim your word
not only by what they say
but especially by the way they live it.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God,
you have enriched our lives
with the message and the very life
of your Son, Jesus Christ.
May we show our loving gratitude
by doing all we can to share these gifts
with people far and near,
that one day we may all sit together
at the same table of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father,
in this Eucharistic celebration
you have let us enjoy the light
of the word of Jesus, your Son.
May people from all cultures
live one day in this light
and become aware that they are all
your sons and daughters
whom you love in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
