Responsorial Psalm
Compassionate and gracious is the Lord,
slow to anger and abounding in love.
The Lord is good to everyone;
his mercy embraces all his creation.
All creatures look to you
to be fed in due season;
with open hand you satisfy
the living according to their needs.
Righteous is the Lord in all his ways,
his mercy shows in all his deeds.
He is near those who call on him,
who call trustfully upon his name.
2nd. READING (Rom 8, 35.37-39)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Will it be trials, or anguish, persecution
or hunger, lack of clothing, or dangers or sword? No, in all of this we are more than
conquerors, thanks to him who has loved us. I am certain that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor spiritual powers, neither the present nor the future, nor cosmic
powers, were they from heaven or from the deep world below, nor any creature
whatsoever will separate us from the love of God, which we have in Jesus Christ, our
Lord.
Gospel
When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death set out secretly by boat for a
secluded place. But the people heard of it, and they followed him on foot from their
towns. When Jesus went ashore, he saw the crowd gathered there and he had
compassion on them. And he healed their sick. Late in the afternoon, his disciples
came to him and said, "We are in a lonely place and it is now late. You should send
these people away, so they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to
eat." But Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to
eat." They answered, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes." Jesus
said to them, "Bring them here to me." Then he made everyone sit down on the grass.
He took the five loaves and the two fishes, raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced the
blessing, broke the loaves and handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people.
And they all ate, and everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the
leftovers, filling twelve baskets. About five thousand men had eaten there besides
women and children.
