Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Sts Cyril and Methodius
Mark 8:1-10
“if I were to send them away fasting to their home, they might faint on the way.”
In those days, again, when there was a great crowd, and they did not have anything to eat, calling together his disciples, he said to them: “I have compassion for the multitude, because, behold, they have persevered with me now for three days, and they do not have anything to eat. And if I were to send them away fasting to their home, they might faint on the way.” For some of them came from far away.
And his disciples answered him, “From where would anyone be able to obtain enough bread for them in the wilderness?” And he questioned them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”
And he instructed the crowd to sit down to eat on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke and gave it to his disciples in order to place before them. And they placed these before the crowd.
And they had a few small fish. And he blessed them, and he ordered them to be placed before them. And they ate and were satisfied.
And they took up what had been leftover from the fragments: seven baskets.
And those who ate were about four thousand. And he dismissed them.
And promptly climbing into a boat with his disciples, he went into the parts of Dalmanutha.
What do the Fathers Say?
Pope St GREGORY the Great. He does not however wish to dismiss them fasting, lest they should faint by the way; for it is necessary that men should find in what is preached the word of consolation, lest hungering through want of the food of truth, they sink under the toil of this life.
St AMBROSE. The Lord Jesus divides the food, and His will indeed is to give to all, to deny none; He is the Dispenser of all things, but if thou refusest to stretch forth thy hand to receive the food, thou wilt faint by the way, nor canst thou find fault with Him, who pities and divides.
The Venerable BEDE. They who return to repentance after the crimes of the flesh, after thefts, violence, and murders, come to the Lord from afar; for in proportion as a man has wandered farther in evil working, so he has wandered farther from Almighty God. The believers amongst the Gentiles came from afar to Christ, but the Jews from near, for they had been taught concerning Him by the letter of the law and the prophets.
Our Lord’s breaking the bread means the opening of mysteries; His giving of thanks shows how great a joy He feels in the salvation of the human race; His giving the loaves to His disciples that they might set them before the people, signifies that He assigns the spiritual gifts of knowledge to the Apostles, and that it was His will that by their ministry the food of life should be distributed to the Church.
What was over and above, after the multitude was refreshed, the Apostles take up, because the higher precepts of perfection, to which the multitude cannot attain, belong to those whose life transcends that of the generality of the people of God; nevertheless, the multitude is said to have been satisfied, because though they cannot leave all that they possess, nor come up to that which is spoken of virgins, yet by listening to the commands of the law of God, they attain to everlasting life.