Monday, September 18, 2024

Monday, September 18, 2024

Announcement: Since several of our Emmaus board members are traveling this week and next we will postpone our general community meeting until October.

Stay tuned for the date and time. Please tell others you may know!

Jesus never once talked about attending church services, but he talked constantly about healing the sick and feeding the hungry. That is what it seems to mean to be a follower of Jesus.

- Richard Rohr

Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus was sad and exhausted and withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

The important thing that our brother Jesus was about is creating a community of compassion where people care about one another. It is not only the feeding that matters to us, it is the caring for other people’s hunger and needs.