Tuesday, January 6 : Saint John Chrysostom

Let us take note of the disciples’ trusting abandonment to God’s providence in life’s greatest necessities and their disdain for a life of luxury: there were twelve of them and they only had five loaves and two fish. They were not bothered by bodily things but dedicated all their zeal to the things of the soul. Moreover they did not keep these provisions for themselves: they handed them over to the Savior at once when he asked them for them. Let us learn from this example to share what we have with those in need, even if we only have a little. When Jesus asks them to bring the five loaves, they don’t say: “What will there be for us later on? Where will we find what is necessary for our own needs?” They obey promptly (…) Taking the loaves, then, the Lord broke them and entrusted the honor of distributing them to the disciples. He did not just want to honor them by this holy service but desired them to take part in the miracle so as to be wholly convinced witnesses to it and not forget what had taken place under their own eyes (…). It is through them that he made the people sit down and that he distributed the bread so that each one of them might bear witness to the miracle accomplished at their hands (…) Everything in this event – the desert place, the bare ground, the small supply of bread and fish, the distribution of these same things to everyone without distinction, each one of them having the same as their neighbor – all this teaches us humility, frugality and fraternal charity. To love one another equally, to place everything in common amongst those who are serving the same God: this is what our Savior is teaching us here.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team