Daily Readings - Wed Dec 05 2018
Isaiah
6On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest of wines.7On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;8he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.9In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."10The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain; but Moab will be trampled under him as straw is trampled down in the manure.
Matthew
29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."33His disciples answered, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"34"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on God’s abundant love and care for His people. In the First Reading from Isaiah, we hear a beautiful vision of a future where God will remove the veil of death and wipe away every tear. This passage is part of Isaiah’s larger vision of the messianic age, where God will restore His people and bring them to a mountain feast, symbolizing His victory over suffering and death. It is a message of hope, reminding us that even in the darkest times, God’s plan for our salvation is at work.
In the Gospel, Matthew describes Jesus’ compassion for the crowds who have followed Him for three days. Seeing their physical and spiritual needs, Jesus performs a miracle, feeding them with just seven loaves and a few fish. This miracle, similar to the feeding of the 5,000 earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, shows Jesus’ divine power and His care for both the body and the soul. The leftovers, filling seven baskets, symbolize God’s abundance and generosity. This passage reminds us that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision, the one who brings life, healing, and nourishment to all people.
These readings call us to trust in God’s providence and to live with compassion. Just as Jesus saw the needs of the crowd and acted, we are called to see the needs of those around us and respond with love. In our daily lives, we may face moments of scarcity or doubt, but the Gospel assures us that God can multiply even the little we have. Let us ask for the faith to trust in His abundance and the courage to share what we have with others. May we, like Jesus, be instruments of hope and healing in a world that often feels broken and in need.