Reflecting on the past week, think about a couple of things that really grabbed your attention whether out of concern, celebration, etc. What was it that pulled you in, caught your eye or ear, and/or touched your heart?

What is it like now as you recall these things?

In the First Reading for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Isaiah 55:1-3, it is written:

Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. – verse 3a

Continuing to think about the past week, how have you been attentive to the Lord? In what moment(s) have you felt closest to the Lord? What have you shared and what insights have come to light through listening and prayer?

The Psalm for this Sunday (Psalm 145: 8-9, 15-18) reminds us of the way the Lord meets our needs:

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.

Take some time to consider the qualities described in these verses and the ways you have experienced the Lord meeting your needs. Allow time to express the sentiments that arise within as you recall these graced moments.

In the Second Reading (Romans 8:35, 37-39), St. Paul writes:

Brothers and sisters:
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? – verse 35

The answer—nothing. There is absolutely nothing; no matter how big or powerful or existential. There is nothing that can “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (v. 39).

Take a few moments to let that sink in!

When ready, reflect again on the past week and name the moment(s) where you felt closest to the Lord. How was that moment(s) different than a moment where perhaps you didn’t feel as close to the Lord?

In the Gospel passage, Matthew 14:13-21 (included below), Jesus has stepped away from the crowds after learning of John the Baptist’s death. However, he is followed by them to the place to which he has retreated. He knows they’re following him from the start. And what does he do? He doesn’t go further away, turn his back on them, or tell them, “Go away”, “Come back tomorrow”, “Maybe another time”, or “Too late”.

Instead, Jesus’s “heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.” Not only that, but also as the day grows even longer and into the evening, rather than sending the crowd away or taking leave of them, he feeds them—all 5,000—with five loaves of bread and two fish.

What speaks to you most about this passage?

Spend the next few minutes envisioning the Lord’s care, strength, hope, love, and wisdom being poured upon you and filling your heart, body, and soul. Allow yourself to encounter the warmth and generosity of the Lord.

What do you imagine the Lord wants you to know about the things that caught your attention this past week? And the ones that will catch your attention in the week ahead?

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children. – Matthew 14:13-21