Last weekend we celebrated the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, featuring the miraculous account of Jesus feeding five thousand men with five barley loaves and two fish. Among other things, the story teaches us that Jesus uses what little we have to do incredible things—when we live in God's grace, our prayers, our decisions and our actions are more effective!
Fr. Mark delivered a powerful homily marking the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's papal encyclical Humana Vitae, which restated and reinforced the Church's teaching on married sexuality, forbidding the use of contraception and advocating modern Natural Family Planning. Surrendering ourselves and our marriages in this way yields incredible fruit. Please check his homily out at the link below and spread this important message!
In Fr. Newton's homily, he focused on the great gift of the Holy Eucharist—how both in the gospel and in the Mass, Jesus asked us to bring what we can to Him, that He may feed the people. Unlike Moses, who instructed his people not to collect more manna than was needed for the day, Jesus tells his disciples to gather the leftovers after the crowd has eaten its fill. God is capable of transforming our tiny sacrifices and acts of love into superabundance, enabling us to share in His gifts and graces and to spread them to those in need.
Check out the readings and homilies in English and Spanish at the links below:
- Readings in English (USCCB)
- Homily: Fr. Mark Innocenti (Audio)
- Homily: Fr. Arockiya Newton (Audio)
- Lecturas en Español (USCCB)
- Homilia: Padre Arockiya Newton (Audio)