Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Matthew (15:29-37) in which Jesus takes the seven loaves and a few small fish, gives thanks and tells the disciples to share them among the large crowd – all were fed, all were satisfied.

Fr Paul says, in the Gospel, Jesus goes up the mountain and the people gather round him. They bring their problems with them: sickness, blindness, deafness and Jesus cures them all.

But as well Jesus has compassion for the people who have nothing to eat so he calls his disciples to do something. The disciples think that the solution is outside – to find a place with plenty of bread. But for Jesus the solution is there among them. The solution comes from the people with his help. Jesus satisfies their hunger with seven loaves of bread and two fish. There is even food left over.

From this Gospel we learn that Jesus feels compassion for those around him. For our reflection, Fr Paul invites us to ask ourselves, ‘Do I feel compassion for others? What can I share with others to help them?’