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Memorial of St. Francis Xavier
Isaiah 25:6-10A
Psalm 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6
Matthew 15:29-37
Summary
In the reading according to Isaiah, we are reminded that while the Lord provides
richly for his people, he will also be responsible for destroying “the veil that veils
all people”. In doing so, he will save us and bring eternal joy to our lives. The
Responsorial Psalm assures us that, through our faith, the Lord will forever guide
us through our challenges and lead us in courage ultimately to places of calm
respite.And finally, in this reading of Matthew’s Gospel, we revel in the telling of
two miracles! First, was the miracle of Christ’s healing of the physically sick…
and then, desiring to feed his faithful followers who’d been doing so for several
days without sustenance, Christ multiplied the 7 loaves and few fishes to feed
the large crowd.The significance of 7 loaves of bread and 7 baskets full after
feeding the crowd is important. Seven is the number of completeness and per-
fection in God’s creation of all things. Again, it is reaffirmed that our faith is a
necessary component in believing that God will grant us salvation completely
and perfectly as promised.
Reflection
I take solace in knowing that God
conveys his genuinely caring for all
of us in a multitude of ways…and
respond by continuing to strength-
en my faith daily. Our blessing is
imbedded in the essence of these
readings. Our beautiful Lord pro-
vides love, guidance, courage, peace,
addresses our daily needs- both
physical and spiritual… all affirm-
ing
the
huge amount of devotion he has for each an
every one of us. One would be hard pressed to
not find a great deal of comfort in these read-
ings…and, in turn, duly praise our amazing
Creator.