First reading 1 John 4:7-10
Let us love one another, since love comes from God
My dear people,
let us love one another
since love comes from God
and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Anyone who fails to love can never have known God,
because God is love.
God’s love for us was revealed
when God sent into the world his only Son
so that we could have life through him;
this is the love I mean:
not our love for God,
but God’s love for us when he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.
Responsorial Psalm 71(72):1-4,7-8
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
May the mountains bring forth peace for the people
and the hills, justice.
May he defend the poor of the people
and save the children of the needy.
In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
Gospel Mark 6:34-44
The feeding of the five thousand
As Jesus stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length. By now it was getting very late, and his disciples came up to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place and it is getting very late. So send them away, and they can go to the farms and villages round about, to buy themselves something to eat.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ They answered, ‘Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?’ ‘How many loaves have you?’ he asked. ‘Go and see.’ And when they had found out they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people together in groups on the green grass, and they sat down on the ground in squares of hundreds and fifties. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fish among them all. They all ate as much as they wanted. They collected twelve basketfuls of scraps of bread and pieces of fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
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Love comes from God
In today’s first reading, St John the Evangelist states, “My dear people, let us love one another, since love comes from God…” The desire to love does not originate from within us; it comes from God. Often, we tend to misuse the word “love” in various contexts, from loving desserts to loving a sport. Today, let us remember that the love described by St John is one that seeks the well-being of others. It is an unconditional and selfgiving love. We can love others because God has first loved us, and His love is working in us and through us.
In the Gospel passage, Jesus exemplifies the true essence of love through His deep compassion for others. When He looked at the tired faces of the crowd, His heart was filled with compassion. He sat down and taught them. Later, He performed the miraculous act of multiplying the loaves and fish to feed them. Through these selfless acts, Jesus showed that love is not merely a feeling but is expressed through actions that seek the well-being of others. Today, Jesus calls us not to admire Him, but to actively go and pass on His love with those we meet.
Reflective question:
How can I be more aware that I am meant to live this day with love?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
