Daily Readings - Sun Jun 22 2025

¹⁸Then in truth, Melchizedek, the king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, for he was a priest of the Most High God¹⁹he blessed him, and he said: "Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, who created heaven and earth²⁰And blessed be the Most High God, through whose protection the enemies are in your hands." And he gave him tithes from everything

1 Corinthians

Chapter 11

²³For I have received from the Lord what I have also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the same night that he was handed over, took bread²⁴and giving thanks, he broke it, and said: "Take and eat. This is my body, which shall be given up for you. Do this in remembrance of me.²⁵Similarly also, the cup, after he had eaten supper, saying: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he returns

Luke

Chapter 9

¹¹But when the crowd had realized this, they followed him. And he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. And those who were in need of cures, he healed¹²Then the day began to decline. And drawing near, the twelve said to him: "Dismiss the crowds, so that, by going into the surrounding towns and villages, they may separate and find food. For we are here in a deserted place.¹³But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "There is with us no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we are to go and buy food for this entire multitude.¹⁴Now there were about five thousand men. So he said to his disciples, "Have them recline to eat in groups of fifty.¹⁵And they did so. And they caused them all to recline to eat¹⁶Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish, he gazed up to heaven, and he blessed and broke and distributed them to his disciples, in order to set them before the crowd¹⁷And they all ate and were satisfied. And twelve baskets of fragments were taken up, which were left over from them

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter powerful narratives that weave together themes of faith, gratitude, and divine provision. The first reading from Genesis introduces Melchizedek, a priest-king who offers bread and wine, blessing Abram and receiving a tithe. This ancient act of worship prefigures the Eucharistic tradition, highlighting the importance of acknowledging God as the source of all blessings. The second reading from 1 Corinthians details the institution of the Eucharist, where Jesus, on the night before His passion, transforms bread and wine into His body and blood, commanding us to remember Him through this sacred meal. The Gospel from Luke recounts the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, where Jesus takes five loaves and two fish, blesses them, and satisfies the multitude, leaving an abundance of leftovers. These readings are deeply interconnected, each shedding light on the others. Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine in Genesis foreshadows the Eucharistic sacrifice, while the feeding miracle in Luke mirrors the abundance of God’s grace, much like the overflowing bread in the wilderness. The Eucharist, as described by Paul, is the culmination of these themes, where we participate in Christ’s sacrifice and are nourished for our journey. Together, they remind us that God’s provision is always sufficient, often exceeding our needs. In our daily lives, these readings invite us to cultivate gratitude and trust. Like Abram, we are called to give back to God from the abundance He has given us, whether through our resources or our time. The Eucharist urges us to remember Christ’s sacrifice, integrating this remembrance into our actions and decisions. The feeding of the five thousand challenges us to approach life with faith, trusting that God can multiply even our meager offerings. May we embrace a spirit of stewardship, recognizing that all we have comes from God, and may we use these gifts wisely and generously, mirroring the divine generosity we encounter in these readings.