Daily Readings - Sun Jul 28 2024
2 Kings
42And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.43And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.44So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.
Ephesians
1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
John
1After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.2And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.3And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.4And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.5When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?6And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.7Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,9There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?10And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.11And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.12When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.13Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.14Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.15When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
Sermon
The readings today remind us of God’s boundless generosity and the call to live in unity and humility. In the first reading from 2 Kings, we see Elisha, a prophet of God, being offered a small amount of bread by a man from Baal-Shalishah. Though the servant questions whether such a small offering can satisfy a hundred men, Elisha trusts in God’s promise and instructs him to distribute the bread. Miraculously, there is more than enough for everyone, and some is even left over. This story highlights God’s ability to provide abundantly, even when human resources seem insufficient.
The Gospel reading from John 6 presents a similar theme of divine abundance through the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus, seeing the hunger of the crowd, takes the meager offering of five barley loaves and two fish from a young boy and multiplies it to feed everyone. The leftovers fill twelve baskets, showing that God’s gifts are not only sufficient but also overflowing. This miracle points to Jesus as the Bread of Life, who satisfies our deepest hungers and calls us to trust in His providence.
Both readings are connected by the theme of trust in God’s provision and the importance of generosity. The second reading from Ephesians reminds us that living in unity and humility is essential for reflecting God’s love in the world. Just as the bread was shared among the crowd and the leftovers gathered to prevent waste, we are called to share our own gifts and resources with others, ensuring that no one is left without. Today, let us reflect on how we can trust in God’s abundance, live with humility, and generously share what we have, so that all may experience the richness of His love.