Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 2, 2020
At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and sat down there.
Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,
and many others.
They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.
The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,
the deformed made whole,
the lame walking,
and the blind able to see,
and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way.”
The disciples said to him,
“Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?”
Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
gave thanks, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.
Feeding and healing, feeding and healing: this is what Jesus does best to announce the Kingdom of God. He feeds us by healing us; he heals us by feedinging us. Today’s reading puts both of these aspects of Jesus’ ministry side by side.
All of us have been physically hungry in our lives, even if only because we rushed out of the house without eating breakfast. Hunger in our bodies reminds us of what it is like to hunger and thirst for God in our spirits. And we have all been in need of healing in our lives, too. From minor ailments to major medical issues, our human condition reminds us of our mortality and our dependence on God. Jesus’ focus on healing and feeding miracles appeals to the foundation of our needs as embodied humans and, at the same time, these miracles elevate us from the bodily plane to the spiritual.
As we begin the journey of Advent this week, we remember that Jesus entered into this same human experience so that he could journey with us, healing us and feeding us along the way. He tells us in today’s reading, “I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” On this Advent journey, let us be assured that Jesus is with us on the way.
Prayer
Lord, you fed the hungry crowd with ample servings of bread and fish. But you gave them other nourishment as well—the beautiful words you spoke and the miracles you worked. Look on us today in need of such nourishment, food for the body and food for the soul. Be with us in our needs. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Chromatius was born in the late fourth century in the city of Aquileia in eastern Italy. His biography tells us that Chromatius lived with his widowed mother, his brother, and his unmarried sisters. Instead of continuing to live with his mother and sisters as their financial guardian, however, Chromatius was ordained a priest around the year 381. Shortly thereafter, Chromatius participated in the small Synod of Aquileia, which condemned Arius as a heretic and worked to establish an orthodox Christology, against Arius. This synod was organized by St. Ambrose, a distinguished theologian, who became a friend, mentor, and correspondent of Chromatius. In 388, Chromatius was elected bishop of Aquileia.
Although Chromatius himself is no longer a very well-known name, he was friends with many influential and famous theologians. He baptized Rufinus and became something of a mentor to him. Rufinus and St. Jerome disagreed over Origen's theology and style of exegeting scriptures. Chromatius took it upon himself to mediate the dispute of these two friends of his. Chromatius exerted his influence on his young mentee, Rufinus, and exhorted him to cease arguing with Jerome and instead turn his intellectual abilities to translate the great Church historian Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History out of Greek and into Latin. Chromatius was a dear friend of the great St. Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin. In fact, Chromatius is responsible for helping to finance Jerome's daring venture. In addition to his active correspondences with Ambrose, Rufinus, and Jerome, he also corresponded with the Church historian Eusebius.
Chromatius was also a prolific scriptural commentator and exegete in his own right. Part of his commentaries on Matthew's Gospel still survive today, including a beautiful homily on the beatitudes.
Another one of Chromatius' correspondents was the famous preacher St. John Chrysostom, priest of Antioch and then bishop of Constantinople. John Chrysostom criticized the royal family for their excess and their hypocritical practice of Christianity. Emperor Honorius promptly exiled John Chrysostom: a sentence which led finally to John Chrysostom's death. Chromatius interceded with Emperor Honorius on John Chrysostom's behalf, asking him to relieve him from his death march of exile. His pleas went unheeded, but provide yet another example of Chromatius putting his pastoral care and intellectual acumen at the service of Christian friendship, of building up the body of Christ through care for his friends and colleagues.
Chromatius, having thoroughly spent himself serving the Church that he loved so dearly, died on December 2 in the year 406 or 407.
St. Chromatius, faithful friend, who encouraged great saints to use their gifts for Christ—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Chromatius is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
