20250804 FULFILLING HUMANITY’S HOPES AND DREAMS
04 August 2025, Monday, 18th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Numbers 11:4-15 |
The sons of Israel complain in the desert
The sons of Israel began to wail, ‘Who will give us meat to eat?’ they said. ‘Think of the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic! Here we are wasting away, stripped of everything; there is nothing but manna for us to look at!’
The manna was like coriander seed, and had the appearance of bdellium. The people went round gathering it, and ground it in a mill or crushed it with a pestle; it was then cooked in a pot and made into pancakes. It tasted like cake made with oil. When the dew fell on the camp at night-time, the manna fell with it.
Moses heard the people wailing, every family at the door of its tent. The anger of the Lord flared out, and Moses greatly worried over this. And he spoke to the Lord:
‘Why do you treat your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour with you, so that you load on me the weight of all this nation? Was it I who conceived all this people, was it I who gave them birth, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, like a nurse with a baby at the breast, to the land that I swore to give their fathers”? Where am I to find meat to give to all this people, when they come worrying me so tearfully and say, “Give us meat to eat”? I am not able to carry this nation by myself alone; the weight is too much for me. If this is how you want to deal with me, I would rather you killed me! If only I had found favour in your eyes, and not lived to see such misery as this!’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 80(81):12-17 |
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
My people did not heed my voice
and Israel would not obey,
so I left them in their stubbornness of heart
to follow their own designs.
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
O that my people would heed me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
At once I would subdue their foes,
turn my hand against their enemies.
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
The Lord’s enemies would cringe at their feet
and their subjection would last for ever.
But Israel I would feed with finest wheat
and fill them with honey from the rock.
Ring out your joy to God our strength.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt4:4 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 14:13-21 |
The feeding of the five thousand
When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.
When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.’ Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.’ ‘Bring them here to me’ he said. He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children.
FULFILLING HUMANITY’S HOPES AND DREAMS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NUM 11:4-15; Ps 81:12-17; Mt 14:13-21]
We all have our hopes and dreams. For the Hebrews, when they were in Egypt, they cried out to God for deliverance from their misery under the slavery of the Egyptians, and God heard their prayers. “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites.” (Ex 3:7f)
But freedom is not enough. What is the use of freedom when we are dying of hunger and thirst? Isn’t this the case for most of us as well? What is the use of democracy when the country is full of corruption, injustice, and crime? What is the use of freedom from our fellowmen when we are enslaved to our desires, addictions, self-centeredness, and selfishness? Such a kind of freedom cannot bring us true happiness or fulfil the aspirations of humanity.
This was the case for the Hebrews in the desert. They gained their freedom, but because they were in the desert – facing hardships, an austere life, and deprivation of life’s pleasures – they became dissatisfied with Moses and God. “The sons of Israel began to wail, ‘Who will give us meat to eat?’ they said. ‘Think of the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic! Here we are wasting away, stripped of everything; there is nothing but manna for us to look at!'” In their suffering, they began to think of “the good old days” when they had more food, even though it came with hard labour and less freedom.
How, then, can we satisfy the heart of humanity? The truth is that material and physical needs alone cannot quench the thirst and hunger of man. Man seeks something more. He longs not just to freedom, but for absolute freedom – that is, to live in truth and in love. That was why people from all walks of life followed Jesus, even to the desert, as Moses led his people, to find something that could really satisfy them. Leaving their towns, they followed after Him. It is true that they went seeking healing and restoration. “So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.” But they were also seeking something more.
Jesus came to restore all of us to wholeness in life, whether we are physically sick or emotionally and spiritually hungry. Healing of the body is not enough unless the soul is healed. Many people seek physical healing, but once cured, they continue to live sinful lives, injuring both body and soul – which only leads them to illness again. This is because the root cause of their physical illness has not been removed.
Hence, after the healing miracles, Jesus led them to a deeper spiritual level – teaching them how to love, share, care, and build community. He had the disciples seat them on the grass. “Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining, twelve baskets full.” The miracle of the multiplication of loaves was an anticipation of the heavenly banquet to which all are invited. It points to the Eucharist, itself a foretaste of what heaven is like: a community of love, united in one mind and heart, in union with God, and our Lord Jesus, and with all the saints. What gives us true joy, peace, and happiness is to share in God’s life and love. The Eucharist is therefore the Bread of Life for our journey.
But this is where the challenge lies! It is extremely difficult to help people to live as a community of love. Even Moses felt helpless in the face of the grumblings and complaints of the Israelites. He felt inadequate to meet their demands, hearing “the people wailing, every family at the door of its tent.” In his exasperation Moses turned to the Lord in prayer: “Why do you treat your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour with you, so that you load on me the weight of all this nation? … I am not able to carry this nation by myself alone; the weight is too much for me. If this is how you want to deal with me, I would rather you killed me!” The disciples, too, were dismayed when the Lord told them: “There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered, ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.”
What can we learn from today’s Scripture readings about building up our community? Firstly, we should stop grumbling and complaining. Whining about our constraints and limited resources will not help us move forward. That was what the people did – they complained against Moses and against God. “The anger of the Lord flared out, and Moses greatly worried over this.” The Lord was not angry that they were asking for more food, but that instead of using their talents and resources to find a solution, all they did was lament, complain and regret. They were not using their initiative and cooperating with God’s grace. This was also the attitude of Jesus’ disciples.
Secondly, we must use whatever resources and blessings God has given us. This is what the Lord expected of His disciples. Regardless of how inadequate our resources, skills, or manpower may seem, we only need to be generous in using and sharing what we have. God will multiply our offerings. This was probably what happened in the multiplication of loaves. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, and instead of keeping them for themselves, they gave them to the people. Perhaps the crowd was moved by Jesus’ generosity and began to share what they had brought with them. They saw how tired Jesus was, yet He put the people’s needs first. “When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.” But when “he saw a large crowd…he took pity on them and healed their sick.” Jesus’ compassion awakened the compassion in others. When we do good, we open the hearts of others to do good as well.
Thirdly, we must not depend on ourselves alone – we must rely on God. The difference between Moses and the people was that, instead of complaining and doing nothing, Moses brought his struggles to God. He asked the Lord for help and discernment. So did Jesus. “He took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing.” Jesus blessed God and thanked Him for whatever little He had, and trusted in divine providence. He allowed God to work His miracles – whether by supernatural means or by inspiring people to share what they had.
Finally, the Lord wants us to remain humble in all that we do. The Lord said to St Paul, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Cor 12:9) When we think we have to do the work all by ourselves, we become anxious and overwhelmed. But when we do all we can and let God do the rest, He will show us that it is not our work and efforts alone that get things done. This will keep us from becoming egoistic when we are successful in our work. In this way, we allow God’s power to work in and through us. As St Paul says, “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” (2 Cor 4:7)
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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