Presence

“I stand at the door and knock,” says the Lord. (Revelation 3:20). What a wonderful privilege that the Lord of all creation desires to come to me. I welcome His presence.

Freedom

Lord you gave me life and the gift of freedom.
Through Your Love I exist in this world.
May I never take the gift of life for granted.
May I always respect the right to life of others.

Consciousness

Lord, I bring to mind everyone who has asked for my prayers, and lay them at your feet, along with all my own needs and burdens.

The Word of God

¹After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. ²A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. ³Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. ⁴Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. ⁵When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. ⁷Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” ⁸One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” ¹⁰Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down, about five thousand in all. ¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹²When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” ¹³So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. ¹⁴When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

¹⁵When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Inspiration

When Jesus realised that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

In this miracle of the feeding of the five thousand by the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Jesus prefigures the much greater miracle of the feeding of the multitudes with his own body and blood down through the ages. It was Jesus who, on seeing the crowd, asks how to feed all these people. God knows that we have need of food for both our bodies and souls. Let us pray to trust him more to look after us.

Our God is a generous God. For thousands of years our seas, without any input from us, have provided food for billions of creatures including ourselves. Jesus tells us that the very hairs on our heads are counted. We give thanks for God’s providential care for us.

Conversation

“He looked at him and loved him”. (Mark 10:21). Can I allow myself to sit in the loving gaze of Jesus, Who loves me at all times and places, in all circumstances? God always looks at me with unconditional love.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Amen