Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Scripture

In Mark’s gospel, the story of Jesus is portrayed as a cosmic battle between Christ and the devil, beginning with Jesus’ temptation in the desert by Satan (Mk 1:12-13) and continuing with the exorcisms in which Jesus casts out demons (Mk 1:21-28, 34; Mk 5: 1-20). By the time that we reach Chapter 8 in Mark, the audience could have clearly understood Jesus’ mission only in terms of the Jewish expectation of one who would come to save the Jews. Of course, Jesus was a Jew and so were most of the people whom he healed and taught. This perspective could have been confirmed by the first feeding story (Mk 6:34-44) in which Jesus multiplies loaves and fishes in a predominantly Jewish area with an emphasis on Jewish symbolism.

Yet, the story of today’s gospel at the beginning of Chapter 8 seems redundant – another feeding story in which Jesus multiplies loaves fish???? In this story, however, Jesus is in a predominantly Gentile (non-Jewish) area and the emphasis is on Gentile symbolism. This story cements the universality of Jesus’ mission. He is a Jew, understood within the Jewish tradition, including the Genesis story. However, God’s saving work accomplished in Christ is for all, for the entire world.
 

 It is no surprise, then, that Christianity is a worldly reality stretching from Beijing to New Orleans and Nairobi to La Paz. Let us spend some time today in prayer reflecting upon the stretch of God’s love, which reaches to all the ends of the earth and the response of faith which is embodied in many particular places.

- Tim Gabrielli