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Advent Weekday
Isaiah 25:6-10A
Psalm 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6
Matthew 15:29-37
Summary
Today’s readings focus on God’s continual concern and promise to
provide for us.We are faced with the question, when the Lord comes
to save us will we be prepared to meet him?
Reflection
Advent is a time of remembering and building up our hope instead of
feeding our seemingly natural state of expectation.The Christmas sea-
son can easily become weighed down by expectations when in reality
it is a season dressed with the hope fueled the past coming of Jesus
and the possibility of a future coming.
When I read Matthew’s recount of the story of the fishes and loaves I
see it as a story of hope.The crowds that came to Jesus were amazed
by the miracles of healing that he was performing in front of them.
They were amazed, not just happy that their expectation of healing
was met. During this time leading up to Christmas how are our hearts
preparing for Jesus? Are they dressed with expectations of certain
gifts or celebrations to come? Are they filled with hope of what might
be?
The aspect of this gospel that struck me most was not the miracle of
healing or the miracle of the duplication of the fishes and loaves but
rather the point at which Jesus says “My heart is moved with pity for
the crowd, for they have been with me
now for three days and have nothing to
eat. I do not want to send them away hun-
gry, for fear they may collapse on the
way.”How could I forget that God is al-
ways concerned about my collapse. In re-