Saturday 16 February 2019
Genesis 3:9-24. Psalm 89(90):2-6, 12-13. Mark 8:1-10.
In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge – Psalm 89(90):2-6, 12-13.
‘He fills the hungry with good things.’
Whether it is at Cana or in ‘a deserted place’, Jesus provides sustenance for the hungry or the thirsty in abundance. The Marcan feeding of the 4000, coming immediately after Jesus’ ministry in the Decapolis, likely included Gentiles among the crowd. In this it differs from the gospel accounts of the feeding of the 5000. However, as in those narratives, Jesus’ words and actions have a liturgical flavour. In the words of the psalmist, ‘He satisfies the thirsty, and fills the hungry with good things’ (Ps 107:9).
Providing food and drink for those in need constitutes part of the criteria invoked in Matthew’s account of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:35,42). As such, they are a key part of our Christian vocation.
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