Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 2, 2026
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
In today’s gospel, Jesus shows us multiple examples of selflessness. After learning that his cousin has died, Jesus attempts to be alone, but is followed by crowds. Instead of pitying himself or insisting on being alone, he feels sympathy for the crowds and performs miracles. Then, after healing the sick, Jesus multiplies fish and bread for the crowds to eat. Jesus threw himself into ministry and into saving others again and again, at a time when the average person might have been despondent and exhausted from the weight of loss. Jesus did not say “I am too tired,” “I cannot do this,” or “This is too difficult.” Instead, he said, “Yes,” to others repeatedly. Further, Jesus did not appear to be saying yes out of obligation or expectation. Jesus said yes out of selfless love.
One of the messages from today’s gospel is to be open to saying yes to giving of ourselves no matter how exhausted we may be. In the context of my own life, I have felt called to return to volunteering as a lector after a two-year hiatus. Going forward, I am determined to make the time to make this service work happen.
I invite each of us to think about how we are called to serve others, whether that takes the form of volunteering at a soup kitchen or listening to a friend who is going through a difficult time.
Prayer
Compassionate Christ, when you saw the hungry crowds, your heart was moved with pity. We, too, have known that hunger—in our families, in our world, in our hearts. Yet you still say, “Bring them here to me,” and you bless what we offer. In the spirit of Holy Cross, help us to feed others with the same compassion you have shown us. Multiply our small acts of care until all are nourished by your boundless love.
Saint of the Day
St. Peter Julian Eymard’s devotion to the Eucharist led him to a life of active love for God and his neighbor. He was a contemporary of Blessed Basil Moreau, and both priests sought to revive the Church in the wake of the French Revolution.
Peter Julian was born in 1811 to a poor family just after the Revolution. Peter decided to become a priest and joined the seminary against his family’s wishes. He soon got sick, however, and had to withdraw from his studies—he never fully recovered his health.
A few years later, he tried again and was successful in his training—he was ordained a priest in 1834 and joined the Marist Fathers. His life and ministry were characterized by a profound devotion to Mary and the Eucharist, which were the central focus of much of his preaching and teaching.
“We believe in the love of God for us,” he wrote. “To believe in love is everything. It is not enough to believe in the truth. We must believe in love, and love is our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. That is the faith that makes our Lord loved. Ask for this pure and simple faith in the Eucharist. Men will teach you, but only Jesus will give you the grace to believe in him. You have the Eucharist. What more do you want?”
With the encouragement of his friend, St. John Vianney, Peter Julian founded two new religious orders dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. Though the orders struggled at first, they eventually succeeded in bringing about his vision of a united community of people—priests, deacons, sisters, and laypeople—deeply formed by the Mass and prayer before the Eucharist.
Towards the end of his life, he took a long retreat in Rome and received a mystical experience of communion with Christ, which he described in a series of letters and meditative works. He died on this date in 1868 after suffering a stroke in France. His relics rest in the Basilica.
St. Peter Julian Eymard, who loved Christ in the Eucharist, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Peter Julian Eymard is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Last accessed March 28, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
