Our Deepest Needs
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
“Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!” Isaiah 55:1
The word of God serves up a tremendous feast for us today. Isaiah beckons all who hunger and thirst to come to the Lord for satisfaction. The psalmist cries out, “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs” (Psalm 145:16). Saint Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Finally, in the Gospel, we hear the story of the miraculous feeding of over five thousand people from a mere five loaves and two fish. Most of us have our material needs met on a day-to-day basis. These scriptures, nevertheless, have much to say to the contemporary believer. We must ask ourselves, “Where are my deepest hungers? Where are my thirsts?” After material needs are satisfied and, in some cases, over-satisfied, many people still experience a deep longing for spiritual balance and well-being. As the loaves and fish are multiplied in today’s Gospel, perhaps our prayer can be a longing for the satisfaction of the deepest needs that only God can fill.
Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.
Readings for the Week
Monday: Jer 28:1-17; Ps 119:29, 43, 79, 80, 95, 102; Mt 14:22-36
Tuesday: Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22; Ps 102:16-21, 29, 22-23; Mt 14:22-36 or Mt 15:1-2, 10-14
Wednesday: Jer 31:1-7; Jer 31:10-12ab, 13; Mt 15:21-28
Thursday: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9; 2 Pt 1:16-19; Mt 17:1-9
Friday: Na 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7; Dt 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41; Mt 16:24-28
Saturday: Hb 1:12 — 2:4; Ps 9:8-13; Mt 17:14-20
Sunday: 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a; Ps 85:9-14; Rom 9:1-5; Mt 14:22-33
Saints & Special Observances
Sunday: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday: St. John Vianney
Wednesday: Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major
Thursday: The Transfiguration of the Lord; Hiroshima Memorial Day
Friday: St. Sixtus II and Companions; St. Cajetan; First Friday
Saturday: St. Dominic