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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

August 02, 2026

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Collect

Draw near to your servants, O Lord,
and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness,
that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide,
you may restore what you have created
and keep safe what you have restored.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading (Is 55:1-3)

Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.

Responsorial Psalm

R/. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Second Reading (Rom 8:35,37-39)

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? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel (Mt 14:13-21)

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.

Catena Nova

Come then, and let us hasten to the mystical Supper. This day Christ receives us as his guests. This day Christ waits upon us; Christ the lover of all humankind gives us refreshment. The fattened calf is slaughtered. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is slain. The divine gifts are set before us. The mystical table is prepared. The life-giving chalice is mingled. God the word incarnate entertains us. Wisdom, who has built herself a house, distributes his body as her bread, and gives his blood as her wine for us to drink. O fearful mystery! O ineffable work of the divine Wisdom! Life bestows itself on mortals as food and drink. You have tasted the fruits of disobedience. Taste now the food of obedience. Eat of me, who am life, he exhorts us. Eat of life which never comes to an end. Eat my bread: for I am the life-giving grain of the wheat. (Cyril of Alexandria)

Our Lord took the loaves and the fish. He raised his eyes to heaven, said the blessing and broke them. He gave thanks to the Father because the Good News was being changed into food after centuries of the Law and the prophets… The loaves were then given to the apostles, it was at their hands, that the gifts of divine grace were to be handed out. Then the people were fed with the five loaves and two fish and, when those who were invited were satisfied, the leftovers of bread and fish were so plentiful that twelve baskets were filled with them. What this means is that the crowd was filled with God’s word coming from the teaching of the Law and the prophets. But it is an abundance of divine power, kept aside for the gentiles, that overflows after the provision of the food that lasts forever. It comes to its full complement, that of the number twelve, the same as the number of the apostles. Now, it happens that the number of those who ate is the same as that of those who would come to believe: five thousand souls (Mt 14:21; Acts 4:4) (St Hilary of Poitiers).

The five loaves signified the five books of Moses’ Law. The old Law is barley compared to the Gospel wheat. In those books are great mysteries concerning Christ contained. Whence He says, “If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me also; for he wrote of Me.” But as in barley the marrow is hid under the chaff, so in the veil of the mysteries of the Law is Christ hidden. As those mysteries of the Law are developed and unfolded; so too those loaves increased when they were broken. And in this that I have explained to you, I have broken bread unto you. The five thousand signify the people ordered under the five books of the Law. The twelve baskets are the twelve Apostles, who themselves too were filled with the fragments of the Law. The two fishes are either the two precepts of the love of God and our neighbor, or the two people of the circumcision and uncircumcision, or those two sacred personages of the king and the priest. As these things are explained, they are broken; when they are understood, they are eaten (St. Augustine).

“They that did eat were five thousand men, beside children and women,” which is an ambiguous expression; for either those who ate were five thousand men, and among those who ate there was no child or woman; or the men only were five thousand, the children and the women not being reckoned... Interpret with me allegorically the children in accordance with the passage, “I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ;” and the women in accordance with the saying, “I wish to present you all as a pure virgin to Christ;” and the men according to the saying, “When I am become a man I have put away childish things” (Origen).

Our Lord in a desert place changed a few loaves into many, and at Cana turned water into wine. Thus before the time came to give men and women his own body and blood to feed on, he accustomed their palates to his bread and wine, giving them a taste of transitory bread and wine to teach them to delight in his life-giving body and blood....He gave them things of little value for nothing to make them understand that his supreme gift would be given yet more freely.... Moreover, as well as giving freely he lovingly cajoled us, offering us these small things without charge to attract us and cause us to go and receive something greater and beyond all price. He awakened our desire by things pleasing to the palate in order to draw us to that which gives life to the soul. He gave a sweet taste to the wine he created to show how great is the treasure hidden in his life-giving blood (St. Ephrem the Syrian).

One of the greatest evils of the day among those outside the proximity of the suffering poor is their sense of futility. Young people say, “What good can one person do? What is the sense of our small effort?” They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time; we can be responsible only for the action of the present moment but we can beg for an increase of love in our hearts that will vitalize and transform all our individual actions, and know that God will take them and multiply them, as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes. The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us? When we begin to take the lowest place, to wash the feet of others, to love our brothers with that burning love, that passion, which led to the cross, then we can truly say, “Now I have begun” (Dorothy Day).

And when these people are here in the desert, when they are in need, when Jesus himself says of them: “Some of them have come a long way,” then all this is no more than one accidental manifestation and exemplification of the common condition of us all - that we are in need, that we cannot of ourselves provide the bread we need for our existence. We are those who are on a journey, we are those who have come a long way. We are those of whom Jesus has said: “I have compassion on the crowd.” We are those who must endure long days with the Lord, and hunger also, until he takes pity on us and gives us strength. We must - like these people in the Gospel - listen to the word of God and listen again and again, until it really enters into us through the miracle of God's grace and becomes the strength of our lives and the light of our hearts. (Karl Rahner)

Homily

Have your hopes ever been dashed? Of course they have. Maybe a job, maybe a relationship, maybe an institution, failed to live up to the hope you placed in it. Or maybe, just maybe, it was you who failed to meet your own expectations. And of course, the bigger the goal, the bigger the disappointment. But then, like Pip in Dickens' Great Expectations we learn the goal, even when attained, may not have been all we hoped for. And like Pip — for whom it was social status and wealth — we discover it was an unworthy pursuit: misguided ambition, superficial values, mistaken happiness, and even moral corruption. Lots of people have had their great political expectations dashed and are now sadly disappointed — or worse.

But even when our hopes are truly great, often enough our enthusiasm is dampened by others' skepticism. Not to mention our own feelings of inadequacy. I have been in situations where I suffered from "impostor syndrome" — thinking I was in over my head, surrounded by my betters, and completely out of place. (People from small towns know what I mean).

So we set before us a goal, perhaps beyond our reach and strength — but not our hopes and dreams - and before you know it, someone is pointing out our limitations and folly. Our confidence erodes, and soon we settle for less. Lofty ideals abandoned in the face of “reality.” The burning thirst of the human spirit for truth and justice, love and holiness, teased, but never quenched. We fill our minds with cliches of resignation like: “You can’t fight city hall;” “Everyone else does it;” “Welcome to the real world.” So we learn to be content with half-truths, partial justice, bloodless love, and Sunday-morning holiness. The lowest common denominator will do just fine, thank you. As Isaiah says: We spend [our] money for what is not bread; [our] wages for what fails to satisfy (I).

Like that time Jesus told the apostles to feed a crowd of thousands with five loaves and two fish (G). An impossible task. They were speechless at the prospect and their response was the sensible one: Dismiss the crowds, so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves (G). But the preacher from Nazareth, more compassionate than practical, was undeterred. There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves (G). And what do you know? They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over - twelve wicker baskets full (G).

Note how the usual excuses didn’t make much difference to the Lord. Like, “We haven’t the time for this;” “We lack the ability to finish the task;” “You’re asking too much of us.” Jesus knew only too well their limitations. Yet he was prepared to make do with the little bit they had. For God, you see, is more than able to take our “little bit,” and make do with it more than we could ever imagine. The human condition, with all its poverty of will and means, is no excuse for God. On the contrary, it’s precisely the human condition that God embraces in Christ. Human weakness is no reason for God to cease working wonders. Oh yes, we have our limitations, our setbacks, naysayers all around us, who prefer we settle for less, and make do with just “a little bit” of truth and justice, a “little bit” of love and holiness. Or simply point out the futility of even trying. In other words, five loaves and two fish.

But tell that to 23-year old Arturo Gonzalez who, in the midst of the immigration crackdown, has gone quite a few steps further than “ICE watching,” where concerned citizens observe and record agents’ actions, with an eye toward protecting detainees’ legal rights and documenting any abuses. Gonzalez does what might be better described as ICE chasing. He has spent the past year fielding tips and rushing to scenes across his hometown of San Diego, filming his encounters and trying to prevent what he calls “kidnappings.” “Let’s face it,” he says, “No one can catch ICE like me.” He has an immense following on social media, people who provide him with leads and crowdfund a living so he can continue his potentially dangerous, daily, efforts. “I’m not just going to stop because it’s dangerous, or because people are scared for my safety,” he says. “At this point I’m already all in, so there’s no point in backing out now.” (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/arturo-gonzalez-ice-influencer_n_6a5920f0e4b0b89eac8d7ef8; July 18, 2026). Five loaves and two fish are not stopping him coming to the aid of thousands. But that’s the point of the story, isn’t it?

St. Paul also knew a little something about human limitations. He lists all the things that might well have prevented him from doing the great things God asked of him: anguish, distress, persecution, hunger, famine, nakedness, peril, the sword. (II) But, he says, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us (II).

How? Because God provides in the midst of our weakness, our poverty, and our limitations. These, after all, are all we have. Five loaves and two fish. They’re the raw materials God uses to show forth his power at work in us who believe. We never have, then, a good reason to shrink from the heights God call us to, and settle for the downward pull of a fallen nature. No, the “little bit” we have is more than enough for God to transform and multiply.

So, come, all you who are thirsty,. . . come receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine . . . You shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare (I). Come to this table, where we present our “little bit” of bread and wine, signs of our poverty, which God takes, and makes into the banquet of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Intercessions

For the church, that neither death nor life, nor anguish, nor distress may keep us from conquering evil overwhelmingly because of the love of Christ Jesus our Lord.

That the Lord, who is just in all His ways and holy in all His deeds, may lift the minds and hearts of world leaders to the ways of integrity, life, and peace.

For all who feel powerless to help their brothers and sisters in need, that they may have the courage to bring to Jesus what little is available, so that His power to multiply may bless their efforts.

For all of us sharing this Eucharist, who come without paying to a divine banquet, that no fragment of this feast be lost, but shared freely with all who are in need of God.

For all who have asked for our prayers in a time of suffering, that our eyes may look hopefully to the Father on their behalf, and that He may open His hand and satisfy their desire for healing and strength.

For our beloved departed ones, that they may be brought into the banqueting hall of heaven and delight in the rich fare of the face to face vision of God.

Bountiful and compassionate God, you place in the hands of your disciples the food of life. Nourish us at your holy table, that we may bear Christ to others and share with them the gifts we have so richly received. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Offertory Antiphon

Offertory Anthem

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation, or distress or persecution,

or famine or nakedness or peril or the sword?

No, in these things we are more than conquerors

through him that loved us.

I am persuaded that death, nor life,

nor angels, nor height, nor depth,

nor any other creature shall be able to separate us

from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Communion Antiphon

Closing Hymn

Bread for the world
A world of hunger
Wine for all peoples
People who thirst
May we who eat
Be bread for others
May we who drink
Pour out our love

Lord Jesus Christ
You are the bread of life
Broken to reach
And heal the wounds
Of human pain
Where we divide your people
You are waiting there
On bended knee
To wash our feet with endless care

Bread for the world
A world of hunger
Wine for all peoples
People who thirst
May we who eat
Be bread for others
May we who drink
Pour out our love

Lord Jesus Christ
You are the wine of peace
Poured into hearts once broken
And where dryness sleeps
Where we are tired and weary
You are waiting there
To be the way which beckons us
Beyond despair

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