Today, 26th of December, we celebrate
Saint Stephen
1st Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44
A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of God,
twenty barley loaves made from the firstfruits,
and fresh grain in the ear.
Elisha said, "Give it to the people to eat."
But his servant objected,
"How can I set this before a hundred people?"
Elisha insisted, "Give it to the people to eat."
"For thus says the LORD,
'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'"
And when they had eaten, there was some left over,
as the LORD had said.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
R/. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R/. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R/. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R/. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
2nd Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
Gospel: John 6:1-15
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes
and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip,
"Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little."
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?"
Jesus said, "Have the people recline."
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
"Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted."
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves
that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
The boy who performed a miracle!
The problem of food has been one of the most urgent issues for most of humanity throughout history. And we are referring to material hunger. Today’s Gospel tells us about Jesus feeding five thousand men who were probably together with their family with five loaves of bread and two fish, donated by a little boy.
There is a danger in trying to understand this miracle literally. As a chronicle, it is improbable. How could 5000 men and their families go up the mountain to listen to a preacher? How many hours did it take for the disciples of Jesus to distribute those loaves and fishes to that huge a crowd? And then, they picked up the leftovers… Where did they go to look for those twelve baskets? Did they bring them empty? How is it possible that only one child kept the five loaves and the two fish? Often, children are the first to eat their food. In short, the evangelist John was not telling us a chronicle of events, but presented us a catechesis page, made of biblical images well known to the readers of his community.
The evangelist begins his narration with a reference to the Jewish Passover – the event of exodus: a great multitude followed Jesus because they saw the signs he performed – as it happened with Moses. Moses led the multitude into the desert and there, they were fed with manna. In the Gospel, Jesus provides the multitude with bread in the deserted place.
The miracle of Jesus is not only to feed them. Most importantly, he manages to make that crowd into a family who, sitting together, share a meal. He makes them a brotherhood. In fact, it is the boy who shares his bread, that made the miracle! In sharing bread, we begin to care for the well-being of our brothers and sisters. Jesus invites us to give hope to those who are desperate, welcome into our families those who are lonely, and give food to those who are hungry.
Some time ago, I have mentioned here about a project called Mothers’ Meal, which began in India to feed a handful of workers who were stranded far from their homes during the early days of Covid-19 and the subsequent lock-down. Like the little boy’s willingness to share his piece of bread saved over 5000, a simple gesture of sharing the meal now is spread over many countries, where tens of thousands of poor are fed. Multiplication of bread still happens and we have a mission to feed the hungry. Do I share this desire to initiate the miracle and share the mission to end the hunger of those around me?
Biblie Claret
Greetings (see second reading)
We are gathered here together
by the Holy Spirit as one body,
united in one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
and one God, the Father of all.
May the Lord Jesus, who has called us together,
be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. God Provides Food
The traditional sign in the scriptures that God loves us and cares for us is that he provides food for his people, usually bread, the staple food in much of the world. Can we believe this when so many go hungry? Let us first ask ourselves whether food is lacking or the distribution and sharing are bad. The bread of the Bible stands not only for food for the body but also for God's word, love, concern and presence. The most profound of these signs of God's care is the eucharist in which Jesus keeps giving himself as our food and drink for the road of life. Let us give thanks to the Father with Jesus this great gift.
B. The Meager Gifts of a Little Boy
Who are we in the eyes of God? What can God do with us? After all, we are no more than little people in a vast world. Today's liturgy shows us that God can do very much through us and with the little we have to give. When we give to him our time, our life, our talents and the little we can do, he turns them into blessings for many. He can do great things with us, but we have to put them at his disposal. The gospel shows us what Jesus could do to satisfy the needs of a large crowd with the meager gifts of a little boy. We ask the Lord to make us generous with the little we have.
C. He Took Bread and Gave Thanks
Whenever Christians come to the eucharist they hear what Jesus did for people. He took bread, gave thanks, and gave the bread to those present, saying, "Take this, all of you, and eat it. This is I myself giving myself to you." We hear in today's gospel that one day Jesus gave food to a hungry crowd. He is the one who can appease the hungers of all people of our earth. He wants us to share him with all and, like our Lord, to share ourselves too with one another. Ask him in this eucharist to teach us how.
Penitential Act
Are we hungry for God's word and care
or have we been cold to his love through sin?
Let us examine ourselves before the Lord.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you took pity on the crowd
and gave them to eat:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you take pity on us
and nourish us with your body and blood:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you want us to take pity
on people hungry for food and love:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Take pity on us, merciful God,
and still our hunger for forgiveness.
Nourish us with the body of Jesus
and lead us to the feast meal of everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that our heavenly Father
may give us all we need in Christ
(PAUSE)
God our Father,
you give your children everywhere
all the good gifts for a fully human life.
Let your Son give us the bread
of his word that nourishes our faith,
of his peace that brings us rest,
of his consolation that gives us hope and joy,
and the nourishing bread that sustains us
on the way to you and to people.
Make us share this bread with all
as a token of the feast meal
which you have prepared for us in heaven.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
Introduction to the First Reading: Bread for the Poor
In a time of famine the prophet Elisha orders bread destined for a religious offering to be given to the hungry poor. As there is not enough, God sees to it that there is more than needed to satisfy all.
Introduction to the Second Reading: One People, for God Is One
The apostle Paul exhorts the Christian community to be one. Our unity bears witness to the Trinity, which is the source and model of all unity.
Gospel Introduction: Bread for the Hungry
Jesus reveals himself in the multiplication as the giver of bread to the hungry. He will use this sign later to reveal himself as the bread of life in the eucharist.
General Intercessions (inspired by René Mouret)
Let us pray to God, from whom all good things come, that all may have in abundance what they need to live as his sons and daughters, and let us say: R/ Lord, grant us all that is good.
- For the Church, that those who lead and preside may serve and unite all in Christ; that they may constantly remind the people of God of the true values of the gospel, let us pray: R/ Lord, grant us all that is good.
- For both the leaders and the faithful in the Church, that they may have the courage to stand up for human rights, for a just sharing in the earth's goods, for justice and for responsible freedom everywhere, let us pray: R/ Lord, grant us all that is good.
- For agencies of international aid, for the United Nations and govern- ments, that they may use all human potentials and all the resources of science and nature to feed the hungry and to develop the earth, let us pray: R/ Lord, grant us all that is good.
- For all Christian communities, that we may not abandon anyone in need; that we may share joys and sorrows and all that is true, beautiful and good, and that we may serve one another, let us pray: R/ Lord, grant us all that is good.
- For this community gathered here to break the Lord's bread, that the Spirit of the Lord may make us the sign of the Lord's generosity and love, let us pray: R/ Lord, grant us all that is good.
Indeed, Lord our God, make us open and receptive to all your gifts and available to all needs and all people, through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Father,
here is a little bread
and here are we with our empty lives.
Multiply our poor offering
and substitute for it the rich bread
and the tasty wine of Jesus.
Let him become our daily bread,
that from him we may learn
to share our food and ourselves
with all who cry out their need to us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
In this eucharist, Jesus will say again: "This is my body given up for you. This is I myself giving myself to you." Let us thank the Father for this great gift of Jesus to us.
Introduction to the Lord's Prayer
United in one faith and one baptism,
let us pray through the Holy Spirit
to God, the Father of all,
in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and help us in our day
to bring food to a hungry world.
In your mercy keep us free
from greed and self-sufficiency
that close our hearts to your gifts
and to one another.
Give us bread that does not perish,
as we go forward in joyful hope
toward the coming in glory
of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
At the Breaking of Bread
Jesus broke his life for us.
He now breaks the bread of himself
to satisfy our deepest hungers.
May we also learn from him
to share our food with one another,
for it tastes better when it is shared
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord
who multiplied bread for the hungry
and who gives himself to us, saying:
This is my body for the life of the world.
Happy are we to be invited
to eat this Bread of life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
We give you thanks, generous Father,
for giving us Jesus, your Son,
as our food on the road
to you and to one another.
Give us the will and the creativity
to bring to a hungry world food
and a fair share in the riches of the earth.
Help us also to break the bread
of dignity and hope for all.
And be yourself the highest fulfillment
of all our aspirations,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing
We have broken bread with the Lord.
This commits us to call on all human resources
to share with those in need
food, justice, culture and freedom.
He also invites us to break for all
the higher bread of the gospel,
which satisfies the deepest hungers
of every human heart.
May God strengthen and bless you for this task:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go, and share God's love and gifts
with one another. R/ Thanks be to God.