Daily Gospel Reflection

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August 7, 2023

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
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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.”
He 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.

Reflection

Brooke Hoepfl ’23, M.Ed.
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Today’s gospel beautifully illustrates Jesus’ selflessness. Instead of grieving alone after his friend’s death, Jesus’ “heart was moved with pity.” We may wonder if healing the sick helped Jesus process his grief; perhaps, despite his sadness, he exemplified God’s love best by feeding thousands. At a time when we might expect someone to care for him, Jesus remained the caretaker.

When I read Matthew 14:13-21, my mind typically meditates on the gift of the most Holy Communion. Every time we receive communion, Jesus envelops our hearts in his limitless love. While the gospel reveals this paramount image, today, let’s consider how we can imitate Jesus, the Caretaker: the one who provides and has an abundance of fish and loaves left over.

In my first year of ACE, I taught a third-grader who embodied Jesus, the Caretaker. My student, Bella, unexpectedly lost her mom in September. She watched her mom battle cancer, gasp for air, and remain in the hospital before passing. When Bella returned, I had no idea how to support her.

During the following months when I assumed I would need to guard Bella, I found her tenacity encouraging me. Sometimes I would pause to give her a hug or talk, but she carried Christ’s strength. Bella kept showing up, carried on her mom’s legacy, supported her classmates, and imbued Jesus’ love everywhere she went.

My students completed a newspaper activity during the last few days of school. In the “Meet my Hero” section, Bella wrote Miss Hoepfl “because she allways helps evrybody” (we’re still working on spelling). I appreciate Bella’s sentiment, but in the end, she was Christ the Caretaker for me. She proved that even in the face of death, there is always enough life, love, and communion for others—plus a lot left over.

Prayer

Rev. Herbert Yost, C.S.C.

Jesus, you open wide your hands and heart and fill us with living food. You give us the bread of the Eucharist, your Word, and the community of the Church. You give us the bread of nature’s beauty, of friendship, of people who care for us when we are in need of help. You give us the food on our table, the roof over our heads, the clothing we wear. All the necessities of life come from you, and the extras as well. Blessed be you, Lord, God of all creation. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Cajetan

St. Cajetan lived in the early 1500s in Italy, at a time when the Church was marked by corruption and indifference. In response, like an effective team captain rallying other players, he reenergized a community of priests who reformed the Church with their zeal and service to the poor.

He was born in 1480 to noble parents and attended the University of Padua, where he dedicated himself to studies and prayer. He received civil and canon law doctorates and returned to his hometown, where he was appointed a senator. After a time, he discerned a call to the priesthood and was ordained when he was 33.

He began to gather other priests around him to care for the poor and sick. Because Cajetan was of noble status, he could have selected anywhere to minister—at court, or in the hierarchy at the Vatican. Instead, he sought out the priests who were living and working among the people of the streets. Though this offended his friends, he persisted. He even founded a bank to offer poor people an alternative to loan sharks.

The group founded a hospital for those suffering from incurable diseases. He told his brother clerics that in church, “we try to serve God by worship; in our hospital we may say that we actually find him."

The Church itself was sick at that time—many of the clergy were corrupt and indifferent. Cajetan and his community of brother priests decided to formalize their efforts as a religious community dedicated to zeal and to spreading authentic faith through their personal witness. They preached, cared for the sick, encouraged people to receive the sacraments frequently, and urged pastors to live a dedicated life of service.

He spent the rest of his life working to reform the Church and mediating civil conflicts. His community of priests went on to play a key role in the reformation of the Church. When he fell ill in 1547, his doctors ordered him to lie on a mattress instead of the bare boards he used for his bed. “My savior died on a cross,” Cajetan said. “Allow me at least to die on wood.”

St. Cajetan’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. He is the patron saint of workers and of those seeking employment.

St. Cajetan, who led priests and rallied the Church with his zeal and commitment to the poor, pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Cajetan is in the public domain. Last accessed March 28, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.