ST. PAUL IN HIS LETTER TO THE ROMANS 8:35, 37

by John Russell

Or pandemics or racism? Same answer.

In the reading from Matthew, Jesus is grieving for John the Baptist, who has just been executed in the prison of Herod Antipas, the Jewish ruler of Galilee. Jesus tries to find some solitude, some quiet. He gets into a boat and flees to a deserted place. But the crowds will not be denied, and despite his grief and his great desire to be alone, Jesus has compassion on them. The disciples would send the crowd away but Jesus says, no, feed them!

I can feel the disciples’ dismay. They are undoubtedly as hungry and tired as the crowds. They just want the problem – the crowds – to go away. But Jesus challenges them to solve the problem themselves. Of course, Jesus gives them an absolutely ridiculous answer to their objection that five loaves and two fish won’t feed the multitude: “Give me the food and have everyone sit down.” In other words, “Bring me your problem; I will fix this.”

Let us find a quiet place where we can bring our problems to Jesus. Then let us listen.

Let us be generous with our financial resources:

Give to the St Vincent de Paul Society by going to our website at st-therese.cc. Scroll down to the St Vincent de Paul button near the bottom of the home page. If you prefer to write checks, please send them to Sr. Kathleen -SVdP , 3514 E. Marion St. , Seattle, WA 98122. The St. Therese conference has been overwhelmed by requests in the St Edwards area, which our conference is now serving. Please be generous!
Support the work of the Church of Western Washington by clicking on this link: Annual Catholic Appeal. If you have questions about the Appeal, please email me at jvrussell85@gmail.com
Finally, you can make a contribution online at st-therese.org and clicking on the “Donate Now” button or use the Push-Pay app on your phone.

Finally, join the Social Justice Commission! If there was ever a moment that St Therese needs a Social Justice Commission it is now! If you want to work for justice, email Trisha Tinsley at citizencoach@gmail.com.