Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

For: Saturday, February 11, 2012

5th Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial: Our Lady's Saturday

From: Mark 8:1-10

Second Miracle of the Loaves
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[1] In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing
to eat, He (Jesus) called His disciples to Him, and said to them, [2] "I have com-
passion on the crowd, because they have been with Me now three days, and
have nothing to eat; [3] and if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will
faint on the way; and some of them have come a long way." [4] And His disci-
ples answered Him, "How can one feed these men with bread here in the desert?"
[5] And He asked them, "How many loaves have you?" They said, "Seven." [6]
And He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground; and He took the seven
loaves, and having given thanks He broke them and gave them to His disciples
to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. [7] And they had a
few small fish; and having blessed them, He commanded that these also should
be set before them. [8] And they ate, and were satisfied; and took up the bro-
ken pieces left over, seven baskets full. [9] And there were about four thousand
people. [10] And He sent them away; and immediately He got into the boat with
His disciples, and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

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Commentary:

1-9. Jesus repeats the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish: the
first time (Mark 6:33-44) He acted because He saw a huge crowd like "sheep with-
out a shepherd"; now He takes pity on them because they have been with Him for
three days and have nothing to eat.

This miracle shows how Christ rewards people who persevere in following Him:
the crowd had been hanging on His words, forgetful of everything else. We should
be like them, attentive and ready to do what He commands, without any vain con-
cern about the future, for that would amount to distrusting Divine Providence.

10. "Dalmanutha": this must have been somewhere near the Lake of Gennesaret,
but it is difficult to localize it more exactly. This is the only time it is mentioned
in Sacred Scripture. In the parallel passage in St. Matthew (15:39) Magadan
(sometime Magdala) is mentioned.

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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries".  Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.  We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.

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"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."  --  St Jerome

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