August 3rd - Franciscan Friars of the Renewal - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we had technical difficulties on our programme when Br. Frantisek's interview was due to be aired, we have decided that it was just too good to miss, so we are replaying it on our programme this week...

On this week's programme we have the third and final part of our interview with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal about their life and ministry. 

You can listen to the podcast of this week's programme HERE. 

Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (Part 3)

                                                                                This week we have the third and final part of our interview with the Franciscans Friars of the Renewal and this week we learn more about Br. Frantisek Marie and his vocation story.

You can read more about the friars including the first and second part of this series of interviews HERE and HERE.

You can listen to the interview excerpted from the main programme HERE.


Gospel - Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.

When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food’. Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves’. But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish’. ‘Bring them here to me’ he said. He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. 

And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children.

 
If we look at today's Gospel, it may remind us of the actions of the Mass.  We bring our offerings to God. Jesus took the bread and the fish, He blessed the meal, broke the loaves, gave it to his disciples.  The same action takes place during our celebration of the Mass.  We bring our offerings to God - not just the bread and wine - but our whole lives, ourselves, our relationships, our joys, our worries, our dreams, our hopes are all offered to God on the paten.  Jesus takes our offerings and blesses them.  He consecrates the bread and wine to become His Body and Blood.  He consecrates us as His Body, members of His Church.  Nourished at the Table of the Lord, Jesus commissions us to go out and to give others 'something to eat' (Mt 14:16).  What can we give others for nourishment?  We can give them ourselves, our time, our talents, our help, our love, our support, but most of all, we can give others Jesus.  Pope Benedict reminds us that "Each of us is truly called, together with Jesus, to be bread broken for the life of the world." (Sacramentum Caritatis  88).

Thanks to the Diocese of Limerick Facebook page for bringing the following thought-provoking prayer to our attention:

A Pastoral Prayer based on Sunday's Gospel:

We come believing in our emptiness,

believing that we will never have enough,

believing that what we have is unworthy.

We come fearful of sharing,

fearful of losing our tenuous grip on security,

fearful of touching and knowing the pain of others.

We come overwhelmed by the hunger,

overwhelmed by the suffering of children near and far,

overwhelmed by the endless tales of senseless violence, greed, and death.

We come aching from the weight of the responsibility,

aching from the chilling challenge of knowing our abundance,

aching from the gnawing awareness that we have much to share.

We come clinging to our meager lunches;

bless them, and us.

break them, and us.

share them, and us.

Pastoral Prayer (inspired by Matthew 14:15-21, Mark 6:35-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:4-13)~ written by Katherine Hawker, on Liturgy Outside http://liturgyoutside.net/ From http://re-worship.blogspot.ie/

Reflections on this week's gospel:
 
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
Word on Fire
Centre for Liturgy
 
Liturgical odds and ends
 
Liturgy of the Hours - 18th week in ordinary time; Psalter week 2
 
Saints of the week
 
August 4th - St. John Vianney (the Cure of Ars)
August 5th - St. Addal
August 6th - The Transfiguration of the Lord
August 7th - St. Cajetan
August 8th - St. Dominic
August 9th - St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Patron of Europe