The miracle of the feeding of 5000 is one of the few stories found in all four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You must believe it's in all four Gospels because the early Church wanted to make sure we never forgot this miracle.

The story goes that a young boy comes forward with almost nothing: five barley loaves and two fish. A child’s lunch. Not nearly enough to solve the problem in front of them. That boy could have looked at the thousands of hungry people and said, “What difference will this make? It’s not enough. Why bother?” He could have kept it for himself. He could have disappeared back into the crowd.

But he didn’t. He gave Jesus everything he had.

And maybe that is where the miracle really began. The first miracle wasn’t the multiplication of the bread … it was the surrender that came before it. Because Jesus didn’t ask the boy for what he didn’t have. He simply asked the boy to trust Him with what he did have.

And that is the question for each of us today:

“What are my five loaves and two fish?”

Maybe it’s:

A little time.

A little kindness.

A little forgiveness.

A little generosity.

A little faith.

We look at the needs of the world and think, “Lord, what I have is too small.” And Jesus says, “Give it to Me anyway.” Because little things placed in the hands of Jesus are never little. And this Gospel is not just a story from 2,000 years ago.

At an event we call The Million Meal Event each year 5,000 people from parishes across San Diego come together. Ordinary people. Busy people. People who simply have offered a few hours of their weekend, just a little of their time. And in those few hours … their “little” becomes two million meals for hungry families.

Five loaves. Two fish. Two million meals.

That’s what happens when ordinary people stop saying, “It’s not enough,” and start saying, “Lord, this is what I have … take it.” Because miracles begins the moment we stop holding on … and place it in His hands.

In today’s Gospel—Matthew 18:15–20—Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault.” By “brother,” Jesus means someone we know and care about. And the sins he is referring to are serious sins that harm people and destroy relationships—dishonesty, hatred, addiction, or abuse.

This teaching can make us uncomfortable. Our culture tells us, “Don’t judge. Mind your own business.” Often, that is good advice. Jesus is not asking us to become moral referees, criticizing every mistake. He is asking us to love people enough to care when they are seriously harming themselves or others.

It is painful to watch someone we love damage their life, their family, or their relationship with God. We may stay silent because we do not know what to say or fear losing the relationship. But love cannot always remain silent. Sometimes love requires the courage to speak the truth. Fortunately, Jesus shows us how: privately, gently, and humbly.

The goal is not to embarrass someone, win an argument, or prove ourselves right. Jesus says the goal is to “win over your brother.” The goal is reconciliation. Ideally, a private conversation works. But if it doesn’t, Jesus says to involve one or two others who genuinely care about the person. Today, we might call this an intervention. And, if that fails, he encourages us to seek help from the Church—from a priest or another wise spiritual leader.

But before correcting anyone, we should examine our own hearts: “Am I speaking out of love—or because I want to feel superior?” “Am I trying to help—or trying to control?”

This Gospel does not permit us to condemn others. It asks us to love them enough to care. Christian love does not condemn people in their weakness—but neither does it abandon them there.

Then Jesus gives us an amazing promise: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

We do not face these difficult conversations alone. Christ is present in the truth spoken with love, the apology sincerely offered, the forgiveness freely given, and every honest effort to repair what has been broken.

Sometimes the most loving words are the hardest to say. But when truth is spoken with humility, compassion, and Christ in our midst, it becomes not a weapon that wounds—but a doorway to healing.

 Reflection on Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

Homily:

The seeds Jesus speaks about in today’s Gospel are being sown not only in the field we call the world but also in each one of us. Every one of us is a field and seeds are constantly being planted in our hearts.

Jesus tells us that the wheat and the weeds look almost identical at first. The difference becomes clear only when they begin to bear fruit in our lives. That is an important lesson:

• Not everything that looks good is good.
• Not every voice deserves our trust.
• Not every idea leads to life or bears good fruit in our lives.

Our culture plants seeds in us every day.

• Advertising tells us happiness comes from buying more stuff.
• Social media tells us our worth depends on likes and followers.
• Politics tempts us to see our neighbors as enemies.
• The world tells us success matters more than holiness.

It is so important that we learn to recognize which seeds come from God and which do not.

We’ve seen a beautiful example of this during the recent World Cup. After the final whistle, cameras often showed players from both teams, winners and losers, kneeling on the field in prayer. Think about that. In a tournament that celebrates talent, fame, and victory, these young athletes reminded millions of people around the world that there is something greater than winning. They were quietly saying: “Our identity is found first in God.” That is a good seed.

The world tells us “Winning is everything.” But the prayers of these athletes tell us in the field of their lives, “God comes first in victory and in defeat.” It is so easy to focus on the bad seeds growing all around us. But Jesus is also planting good seeds within us every day: Seeds of faith, hope, and mercy; seeds of forgiveness, patience, generosity, and love.

The question we are being asked today is: Which seeds are we watering? Every conversation, every choice, every hour spent online. Every prayer is watering something within us. The seeds we water become habits. Our habits shape our character. And our character shapes the person we become. Our first responsibility is not to spend our lives identifying the weeds in everyone else. Our first responsibility is to make sure the wheat in our own heart is growing. So today, don’t worry so much about the weeds growing in someone else’s field. Look instead at your own heart and ask: What am I watering?

Because whatever we water will grow and whatever grows within us will eventually reveal – to God – whether our life harvest is wheat or weeds.

 Jesus said: 

"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!"  This is one of those passages that can make us feel a bit uncomfortable. We know how powerful—and destructive—fire can be. The memory of last year's devastating fires in Los Angeles is still fresh. We've seen the heat, the smoke, the destruction. So, when Jesus says He came to set fire to the earth, we might instinctively recoil.

But I don't think Jesus is talking about a fire that destroys.                                             

I believe He's talking ... about the exact opposite.

The fire He came to bring is not meant to burn down, it's intended instead to burn within...  to burn within! It's the fire that stirs passion that sets a heart ablaze. He wants to set our hearts on fire... with love.

Think of the story told in scripture about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. On that first Easter, two disciples walked with the risen Jesus, not knowing it was Him. They thought He was gone forever. But after He revealed Himself and vanished, they turned to one another, and do you remember what they said:

"Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us?" "

"Were not our hearts burning within us?"

I believe that's the fire Jesus is talking about ... an inner flame that stirs up passion, love, and excitement for God.

We see it again at Pentecost, in the tongues of fire descending on the apostles. That fire—which is the Holy Spirit—transformed frightened men in hiding into bold witnesses who literally changed the world – with the fire of their faith.

This is the fire Jesus wants to kindle in each of us!                                                           

It's a fire that begins at our baptism and is rekindled whenever we gather for worship. 

It's a fire that is meant to spread far beyond these walls.

It's a fire that should burn so brightly it breaks through the "firewalls" of our fears, doubts, and divisions until every heart feels its warmth.

So the question each of us is being asked today is: 

How's your fire? Is it burning brightly?

There's a story about a priest in a little country church. On a bitter winter Sunday, he turned off the furnace's gas pilot light and the gas supply—but left the blower running. When the congregation arrived, they could hear the swish of the fan, but the church was ice cold. 

His sermon that day was titled:

"The Blower's Still Blowing, But the Fire's Gone Out."

Does that describe you? It does me ... often. That's a picture of far too many Christians. Going through the motions—attending church, singing hymns, even serving, but the flame is gone. Saint Catherine of Siena once said, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." 

Jesus came to light a fire in you and me. We mustn't let it go out. We must tend it, feed it, let it grow until it consumes everything that is not of God. Because when your heart is on fire for Him, you'll find a deeper love, a stronger faith, and—yes—  a peace the world can't give and can't take away.                                                    

Let's go set the world on fire!

The Good Samaritan

Read Luke 10:25-37

“The one who treated him with mercy.”

That’s who Jesus said was the good neighbor. This parable invites us to examine our
own actions toward others, especially those in need. In the story of the Good Samaritan,
a man is robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest walks by and does nothing. A
Levite passes by and does nothing. Both are respected religious figures—yet neither
stops to help. Then comes a Samaritan – an outsider – someone marginalized by
Jewish society. He becomes the hero of the story. He is the good neighbor.

As I read this Gospel I could not help but think of the immigration challenges we face
today in the United States. In Jesus’ time the Jews viewed Samaritans much the way
some Americans view undocumented immigrants.

What if Jesus told this story now, in our context? What if this scene were 21st century
America. And the Samaritan was an undocumented migrant? What if the one moved
with compassion, the one who cared for the injured man, was someone without legal
status in our country?
Would we hear this parable differently?

Far too many today see nothing good in the immigrant—just as the Jews saw nothing
good in the Samaritan. But those who follow Jesus are asked to see this issue
differently. We are called to see suffering in our world, not with fear, but with mercy.

Another way to interpret this story is to see the immigrant not as the Samaritan, but as
the injured man. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was dangerous. So too is the
journey many immigrants make today to get to our boarders. They walk
hundreds—even thousands—of miles, crossing deserts, rivers, and borders, sometimes
encountering walls. They so often do this not out of desire but out of
desperation—fleeing violence, poverty, persecution and the fear of death. They are
often robbed by traffickers, some are beaten, many suffer.

This story from Jesus stings, because it reveals a hard truth: We are called to seek fair
conditions for all involved the migrant and the citizen. Mercy is the goal for everyone
involved. And mercy comes from good laws that are fair to all.
The final words of Jesus in the parable are these: “Go and do likewise.”
This is not a suggestion, it’s a call to action. We are called to embody mercy in real and
practical ways:

• By advocating for just immigration policies – that are fair to immigrant and citizen alike.
• By remembering that our people, too, were immigrants to this country.
• By recognizing that our spiritual ancestors— Abraham, Moses, Mary, and Joseph—were also migrants and refugee. Mary and Joseph were immigrants to Egypt fleeing a brutal leader who wanted to kill their child.

Yes, we are called to respect the law. But we are also called to follow – a higher law –
God’s law. The law of love—the law of mercy—calls us to care for our neighbors; and
our neighbor includes everyone. The Catholic Church teaches both the right of people
to migrate and the right of nations to regulate immigration.

This is an incredibly complex issue, but one thing is an overriding truth, that we are
called to view every person—documented or not—through the lens of human dignity
and compassion.

Many, if not most, of the people immigrating here are poor and vulnerable, who are
seeking safety and a chance to live a better life. Just like our own ancestors once did.
My family came to this country fleeing famine and unrest in Ireland. This nation received
them and gave them a fresh start.

We must not forget that our Declaration of Independence proclaims that all people “are
created equal” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights: Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Catholic social teaching, the parable of the Good Samaritan and our country’s own
founding documents all call us to compassion and mercy.

If Jesus were here with us today and someone asked, “What does it mean to be a good
neighbor – in this moment?”

He would answer, 
“The good neighbor is the one who treats others with mercy.”

Let us go—and do likewise.

          

Luke 6:27-28 says: 

"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

What Jesus is saying today might be best understood by recalling the Law of the Echo. The law of the echo says we get back from life exactly what we give to it. This law says that if you shout into an echo chamber a shout will return to you.  If you curse into an echo chamber a curse will return to you. And if you sing into an echo chamber a song will come back to you.  The “law of the echo’’ tells us you get back from life exactly what you give to life. Give abuse and you will get abuse back.  Give love and you will get love back. If you want more love in a relationship be more loving.

There is a story about Jesus that is not in the bible.  It’s a story that is attributed to a Muslim actually, and it goes:  

As Jesus and his disciples entered a village some of the villagers began to harass Jesus shouting unkind words and harsh accusations. But Jesus answered them by bowing down and offering words of blessing. A disciple said to him,  "aren’t you angry with them? How can you bless them?" Jesus answered, 'I can only give what I have in my purse.'” Here the purse is a metaphor for one’s heart.

Jesus is asking us today to take a good honest look at ourselves because we too can only give what we carry in our hearts, our purse.

Some of you may remember when President Ronald Reagan was shot. He had just finished speaking at a luncheon as he left the hotel a gunman fired six shots.  The president and three aides where hit. He was rushed to the hospital where they saved his life. 

In his biography Regan told what was going through his mind as the doctors worked on him.  The president said “I prayed and as I prayed I realized that I could not ask for God’s help while at the same time I felt hatred for the mixed-up young man who shot me.”  He went on “We are all God’s children and therefore equally loved by God. So, I began praying for the young man.” Regan said “then I could calmly ask God to help me which God did.” 

This brings us to today’s Gospel where Jesus says: “Love your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you.” The question we are all being asked today is, when we are hurt, attacked, or insulted how do we react?  Certainly, one way to react is with hatred. Jesus says today that is the wrong way to respond. Why? Why is that the wrong way to respond? There is an old saying that speaks to this, it says:

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

Jesus is saying the same thing to us today. He is telling us that the way to become the kind of person who lives with love is by becoming a person who always responds with love?                                          

Jesus said: 

“Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.                                                                                                  Stop judging and you will not be judged.                                                                                                      Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.                                                                                      Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

We must never forget, we get back from life exactly what we give to life.

John 15:1-8 The Vine and the Branches

We all struggle sometimes to understand what our relationship with God should look like. Today, Jesus gives us a powerful image that clearly shows what our relationship with Him should be. Jesus said our relationship with Him should be as close as the grapevine is to its branches.  

Think about that … 

He does not describe our faith life as an occasional thing, just one aspect of our lives. He says that our religion, our faith, is what gives us life. He compares us to branches attached to him, the lifegiving vine. Religion isn't meant to be a mere part of our lives; it's meant to be everything; afterall branches wither and die if they are away from the vine.                                                                                                        

Jesus says today we will die … spiritually … if we aren't connected to Him.  That's big.  

Our belief is not in some distant God, some abstract God in the heavens. It's just the opposite. Jesus says we are called to be connected to our God intimately. A connection that is life giving a connection whose purpose is to produce fruit. In this vine-to-branch relationship described in this Gospel reading,  God wants fruit to result from our relationship with him! Fruit is mentioned six times in our text and eight times in this chapter.                                                                                                              

Jesus says:   "This glorifies My Father that you bear much fruit ."  We can only bear fruit by being attached to the vine. So, what does being attached to the vine look like? The vine needs to be cultivated, fertilized, and watered. Then it is pruned to produce fruit.   We nurture our relationship with the vine by reading scripture, meditating, praying, coming to Mass, and conversing with other believers. Only after cultivating our faith and deepening our relationship with Christ can we bear fruit.

We produce fruit by loving others generously and by sharing our life-giving faith. That's the fruit. The fruit we are called to produce comes from us spreading the love we know from our connection to Christ to others everywhere we go. This means loving our neighbor and taking care of our neighbor's needs. It means spreading love everywhere … everywhere. Is that how someone would describe you: "spreading love everywhere you go." Wouldn't that be nice!  

I heard a true story that might help explain what I'm trying to say. A few years back, a college professor had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of about 200 boys. They were asked to write an evaluation of each boy's future. In every case, the students wrote: "He doesn't have a chance." Twenty-five years later, another sociology professor at the same university came across the earlier study. He had his students follow up on the project to see what had happened to these boys. Except for 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 men had achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors, and businesspeople. The astounded professor decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were in the area, and he could ask each one: "How do you account for your success?" In each case, the reply came with a feeling:  "There was this teacher."

The teacher was still alive, so the professor sought her out and asked the old but alert lady what magic formula she had used. Her eyes sparkled, and her lips broke into a gentle smile, "It's really very simple." she said, "I loved those boys."

We make this thing we call religion far more complicated than necessary; Jesus Christ tells us what religion is all about. He tells us today that He nurtures us, gives us life, and asks that we love others as He loves. That's it. Our religion is all about being loved and loving others.  

That teacher understood the power of God's love, which allowed her to love those boys into what they became. The fruit we are called to produce comes from loving others with the same kind of love we have received from God—a life-giving love.