[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, August 2, 2026, the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
[00:00:24] This week's episode is entitled: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and these readings challenge us to examine exactly what it is we are seeking in our lives of faith. God invites everyone to partake of his heavenly banquet and have our deepest desires satisfied… but all too often our desires are improperly ordered, and we crave the things of this world - things that will separate us from God - rather than seeking the things that will lead us to the kingdom.
[00:01:02] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
The Galilean crowds follow Jesus hoping to see another miracle… and Jesus does not disappoint. He heals those who are sick and feeds well over 5,000 people using just five loaves of bread and two fish. Meager resources, indeed, to sustain such a great crowd but Jesus does just that with plenty of leftovers! Which prompts us to question our own motives… are we pursuing just a wonder worker? Or are we willing to put in the work to be faithful disciples worthy of a place at God's heavenly table? Our eternal destiny depends on us not making choices that separate us from the love of Jesus. So, what choices will we make?
[00:02:03] Let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, your Son fed the crowds in Galilee and continues to feed us today, graciously and generously, with his Body and Blood. Help us to appreciate this great gift so that, nourished by it, we may choose the things that do not separate us from the love of your Son. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures.
[00:02:45] Our Gospel this week is from Matthew 14: 13-21.
[00:02:53] “[W]hen Jesus heard [of the death of John the Baptist], he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard [this], they followed him on foot from the towns. As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Jesus said, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘We have only five loaves here and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
[00:04:20] The Lectionary skipped several verses between last week's Gospel passage and this week's, so we miss Jesus receiving the news of the death of John the Baptist, which takes place at the beginning of chapter 14.
[00:04:37] After Jesus receives this sad news, we are told that he went to a deserted place by himself, suggesting that he may have gone off to grieve privately. Remember, God did not create death… death was never part of God's plan. So, hearing of John's death would have had a profound impact on Jesus.
[00:05:07] And although Jesus sought a bit of solitude, that was not to be. The crowds followed him and rather than being angry or resentful, we are told that Jesus had compassion for them. That is where we join Matthew's narrative this week. And the account of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish is found in all four Gospels.
[00:05:37] So, let's listen as Matthew recounts this event…
[00:05:42] “[W]hen Jesus heard [of the death of John the Baptist], he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart.
Again, most likely so that he could grieve and come to terms with his loss privately.
“But when the crowds heard [this], they followed him on foot from the towns.”
The Sea of Galilee is not that large… those who wanted to follow Jesus would have been able to see his boat and determine where he was headed so they could follow him.
“As he went ashore he saw a great throng;”
[00:06:22] Obviously a lot of people followed him!
[00:06:26] “and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.”
When Jesus saw the crowds, he knew that he must set aside his grief because he recognized their need for him and for the healing that he could provide.
[00:06:43] “When it was evening,”
[00:06:46] Meaning that Jesus had been at this for a long time! And think too of the Last Supper. Jesus will gather his disciples for their final meal together when it is evening!
“the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
[00:07:14] The disciples have realized that there are simply too many people to be fed by the limited resources they have available. And their words to Jesus are eminently practical.
“Jesus said, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’”
In other words, you are responsible for providing for their needs… put their needs before your own.
“They said to him, ‘We have only five loaves here and two fish.’”
[00:07:47] But the amount of resources they have is less important than their willingness to share what they have available.
[00:08:00] “And [Jesus] said, ‘Bring them here to me.’”
[00:08:04] Meaning - it's a good place to start.
“Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass;”
In other words, get comfortable… the day's events are not over just yet.
[00:08:18] “and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples,”
[00:08:31] Those actions - take, bless, break, give - are the same actions Jesus will use at the Last Supper… they are the same actions that the priest celebrant uses in the Catholic Mass when he stands in the place of Jesus and consecrates the gifts of bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Jesus himself. And notice that Jesus gives the now greatly multiplied resources to the disciples - an action that prefigures the priesthood, the priesthood Jesus will institute at the Last Supper.
[00:09:27] “and the disciples gave them to the crowds.”
[00:09:31] The disciples distributed the bread blessed by Jesus to the crowds who were gathered in that place… just as men, who have been called by Jesus and ordained by the Church, continue to distribute the Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful gathered in Catholic Churches all over the world every day… even to this day.
“And they all ate and were satisfied.”
[00:10:00] Jesus’ generosity produces not just an abundance, but a superabundance.
[00:10:10] “And [the disciples] took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.”
[00:10:19] So not only did everyone eat to the point of satiation, but there were plenty of leftovers as well! And remember, the number twelve is significant, it is a number of fulfillment. Jesus is not only calling the Twelve tribes of Israel to himself, he is not only the Messiah fulfilling the Old Covenant, he is - through the disciples - calling a new nation to himself… one that will only be fully realized long after his Death and Resurrection.
[00:11:03] “And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
[00:11:09] Notice that we aren't told how many people were fed… just how many men. So, we don't really know the actual size of the crowd, but that number is really immaterial. What is important is that the simple but nourishing meal Jesus provided to the crowd, that superabundant sharing of resources, stands in stark contrast to Herod's lavish birthday banquet which served only a privileged few and became the occasion for the beheading of John the Baptist… the event which sets the feeding of the five thousand in motion in the first place.
[00:12:02] So, we have to ask ourselves: what is it that we are seeking? Are we looking for the Jesus who is little more than a wonder worker? Are we pursuing him so that he will give us whatever we ask for? Or are we sincerely trying to be Jesus' disciples? Do we listen to what Jesus tells us in the Gospel and genuinely try to live according to those words?
[00:12:38] Because our eternal destiny depends on us not making choices that separate us from Jesus, so what choices will we make?
[00:12:51] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Isaiah 55: 1-3.
[Thus says the LORD:] Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, merciful love for David.”
[00:13:51] This passage is from 2nd Isaiah (which is chapters 40 to 55) and if you think back a few weeks to the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we heard verses 10 and 11 of chapter 55 then; today we hear verses 1 to 3… and those two readings were bookend what is the Fifth Reading during the Easter Vigil, that is Isaiah 55: 1-11. I mentioned that three weeks ago, but it bears repeating here because this reading is so iconic.
[00:14:31] And remember, 2nd Isaiah was written during the Babylonian Captivity to provide hope and encouragement for those who were in exile. The food and drink that 2nd Isaiah describes here is no ordinary fare, it is - in fact - not the type of nourishment that can be purchased at any price. It is the food and drink available only at the Lord's table, and it bestows upon those who receive it the blessings of the Covenant and a reminder that God's word is effective and his plan will be fulfilled. God's Covenant is an everlasting Covenant, a relationship that relies more on God's love and loyalty than on human faithfulness (thank heaven, because we are notoriously unfaithful).
[00:15:33] So, let's listen to what God has to say to the exiles through Isaiah…
[00:15:38] “[Thus says the LORD:] Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!”
[00:15:50] The only thing needed to receive these blessings are a true and earnest desire, a hunger and thirst, for God and his Covenant. And truthfully, all the money in the world couldn't purchase the riches freely given in this banquet.
“Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
[00:16:18] That's not necessarily the best way to translate that line. The NAB says receive, not buy. And what we miss, by not hearing the middle of this very iconic passage, is that money will not purchase this sustenance - repentance is what is needed in order to receive this food.
[00:16:45] Isaiah says: “Let the wicked forsake their way, let them turn to the LORD and find mercy” which should also remind us of the banquet hosted by Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 9, where those who are invited to the banquet are told to: “forsake foolishness [and] advance in the way of understanding.” So, just as we cannot earn our way into the kingdom of heaven, neither can we buy a seat at the heavenly banquet.
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
[00:17:33] Only God can truly satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. Saint Augustine of Hippo (late 4th & early 5th century theologian, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church), touched on that in the Confessions when he wrote: “You have formed us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in you.”
[00:18:04] “Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”
[00:18:12] God's word is bestowed generously upon his people, not to be received as a rare treat, but as something in which to immerse ourselves every day and God's grace is shared freely with us. Grace that we should receive and in which we should delight.
[00:18:39] “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;”
[00:18:46] Those who accept God's invitation, those who listen to God's word, those who are faithful to the Covenant, will have life through the Covenant and God's glory will shine through them.
“and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, merciful love for David.”
[00:19:16] Some scholars interpret that last line to mean that God is actually transferring his commitment to the line of King David and the promise that the Messiah will arise from that line to the entire nation of Israel… that particular interpretation is, however, quite fuzzy about what that means for the promised Messiah.
Others suggest that it is not a transferal but an expansion of God's covenant with David, which then still holds the promise of the Messiah as a descendant of David. Now, something that we need to keep in mind as we approach the end of 2nd Isaiah - and we're almost there - is that the four Suffering Servant Songs were all part of 2nd Isaiah, and they presented a very different portrait of the Messiah, not as a conquering hero but as one who achieves restoration and salvation through suffering.
[00:20:38] So, while the promise of a Messiah from the line of King David is still valid, it will be fulfilled in a noticeably different manner. Christians, of course, believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, that he has already come, and that the everlasting covenant mentioned in 2nd Isaiah is the New Covenant established by Jesus through which we receive the free gift of God's grace… God's steadfast, merciful love.
[00:21:13] But we can always turn our backs on that love, we can always reject it. So, what choice will we make?
[00:21:24] That takes us to our Responsorial Psalm, which is Psalm 145.
[00:21:29] Now this is one of those times that I look at what the Lectionary publishes as the refrain for this Psalm and just scratch my head. The Lectionary text is: “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” But those words appear nowhere in that Psalm. The RSV, the NAB, and the Grail Psalter all say essentially the same thing: “You open your hand, you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” So, all I can conclude is that this is yet another one of those instances when those who assembled the Lectionary heavily paraphrased the Psalm text.
[00:22:14] So, the Lectionary refrain is:
“The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.”
Whereas the biblical text of verse 16 is: “You open your hand, you satisfy the desire of every living thing.”
[00:22:33] And here are the verses:
“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.”
“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, you satisfy the desire of every living thing.”
“The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.”
This Psalm is a Hymn of Praise that celebrates God's mighty works and his divine perfection. These verses recount the many qualities that make God the ideal king, which is significant because verse 1 says: “my King and my God.” We had that as part of our refrain for this Psalm a few weeks ago, on the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
[00:23:36] This week's verses extol the qualities that make God the ideal king: he is just, gracious, merciful, patient, compassionate, kind, and generous. And you may also remember from a few weeks ago, that this Psalm is a Hebrew Acrostic Poem… meaning that each of the 22 lines of this Psalm begin with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Ancient Hebrew had exactly 22 letters - all of which were consonants. The acrostic structure of this Psalm is, of course, not discernible in the English language. We have to go back to ancient Hebrew in order to be able to really see that acrostic structure.
[00:24:28] That takes us to our Second Reading, which is from Romans 8: 35, 37-39.
“[Brothers and sisters:] Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
[00:25:29] This is our eighth passage from Romans, and if you think back to last week, we were reminded that we were all called by God, that we are all chosen by him from before our births, that we are all destined to be conformed to the image of God's own Son, so that we can all be Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Paul's words have assured us of this destiny, now he asks a very pointed question…
[00:26:07] “[Brothers and sisters:] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
[00:26:15] The only real answer to that question is - ourselves, because it's not so much a who as it is a what. And what it is that separates us from the love of Christ is sin - only sin can separate us from the love of Jesus… and sin is a choice we make!
[00:26:39] The Church teaches that there are three conditions that define mortal sin - the most serious type of sin, right?
[00:26:49] First, the action we choose to commit must be of a very grave or serious nature… those conditions are specified in the Ten Commandments - things like adultery, theft, murder, and so on.
Second, we have to know that our actions are gravely wrong. And short of living under a rock, it's almost impossible to be in our modern society and not know that those things are all gravely wrong.
And third, knowing that our actions will be seriously wrong, we have to fully and freely choose to do them anyway.
[00:27:30] So… grave nature, full knowledge, deliberate consent - all those conditions are required for us to commit serious sin. So, it's not like we can stumble into serious sin accidentally! We must choose to commit serious sin.
[00:27:51] Then Paul asks a series of questions that we may think don't really apply to us anymore. He asks…
“Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
[00:28:11] Those trials and afflictions were all suffered by those who abandoned the Covenant in the Old Testament… so, we have to ask ourselves - are they really still relevant? Do they still apply to us in our modern world?
[00:28:31] Remember, the Scriptures are organic, they are living. So, the answer is resoundingly – Yes! Maybe not in exactly the same manner that they afflicted people in biblical times, but they still happen.
[00:28:48] Tribulation can mean things like serious illness, having our automobile repossessed or our mortgage go into arrears, or experiencing the death of a family member or a close friend.
[00:29:05] Distress can be anything that causes us significant concern or discomfort… so the result of all of the tribulations that I just listed, certainly, but many more things as well. Things like divorce, being fired or losing a job, going for a job interview for the first time in maybe 20 years, or having to choose between filling our prescriptions, paying for gas, or being able to afford groceries. Those all cause distress with its accompanying physical and emotional impacts.
[00:29:53] Persecution may seem like a tough one in today's society… until you go on social media and strangers (or even friends) attack you for an opinion you posted, or even just a picture of your new hairstyle. And if you really want to understand persecution in today's world, talk to a teen or preteen about their experiences, because everyday life has become so much more brutal for them today than it was in the 60s and 70s, or even the 80s.
[00:30:29] Famine, according to the biblical definition, isn't a common experience; but not being able to afford groceries is… otherwise food banks wouldn't be strapped for resources as more and more families turn to them to provide for their basic needs.
[00:30:51] Nakedness? Maybe not, but homelessness – absolutely!
Peril - every day… if you don't believe me, try driving your car. It's nearly impossible to get behind the wheel of a car anymore without almost being hit by a driver who's paying more attention to their cell phone than to the road.
[00:31:13] The sword? Hmm… again, maybe not a sword specifically - but gun violence is at an all-time high. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there have been more mass shootings than in the United States in the past 10 years than there were in the prior 30 years. And more than 10% of those mass shootings took place in educational settings, places where children and young people have every right to feel safe and protected.
[00:31:53] So, there are still plenty of trials and afflictions in our modern world that impact our daily lives. But Paul's answer as to whether or not those things can separate us from the love of Jesus is…
[00:32:10] “No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
[00:32:18] Paul means that as long as we remain close to God, as long as we remain faithful to Jesus, that we can conquer anything… we can overcome anything.
[00:32:34] Then Paul presents a series of (mostly) paired items… we may not realize they are all pairs, but let's have a go at it.
“For I am sure that neither death, nor life,”
Okay, Paul pairs those two together because they both define human existence… we are born and we die.
“nor angels, nor principalities,”
Meaning anything that has authority over us. In this instance, those paired items are divine authority and human authority.
“nor things present, nor things to come,”
[00:33:15] So not even time can separate us, right? Not things of our present existence and not things that will come about in the future.
“nor powers,”
Okay, that one's not paired… but that essentially means the awesome and sometimes fearful power of nature, which we have certainly seen recently… tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail, damaging wind, rain, heat, wildfires, mudslides, earthquakes, or - in other seasons: snow, sleet, ice, blizzards, and even avalanches. There are always plenty of examples of nature's fury.
“nor height, nor depth,”
Okay, paired again… and this time, Paul has compared extremes on our earthly home, from the highest mountain to the deepest ocean.
“nor anything else in all creation,”
Meaning, essentially, everything that we as individual human beings have very little or no control over. Paul says that none of that…
“will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
[00:34:49] Nothing that we do, nothing that we are, makes us worthy to receive God's love, but he bestows it upon us anyway because God IS love. And what he gives to us, we are to share with others! His love, certainly, but everything else we receive, too! Blessings, temporal goods, joy, hope, light, comfort, compassion, forgiveness… everything!
That - inevitably - leads us back to our original question… what is it that we are really seeking in our lives of faith? Are we looking for Jesus the wonder worker who we hope will do whatever we ask? Or are we honestly and sincerely trying to be Jesus' faithful followers, his disciples, who follow the example he left for us, who put in the work he assigned to us, who listen to what he teaches in the Gospels and really try to live as he tells us we should?
[00:36:22] Jesus doesn't leave us to do that on our own - he gives us his love, he gives us his grace. And both of those things will help us to be Jesus’ faithful disciples.
[00:36:39] Our eternal destiny depends on us making choices that do not separate us from the love of Jesus.
[00:36:48] So, let's not choose selfishness or greed, let's not choose hatred or prejudice, let's not choose to commit any sin - grave or otherwise - because that is all within our control.
Instead, let's make the right choices!
[00:37:17] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you safe and secure in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God Bless.
