First Wednesday of Advent
Today’s Gospel relates the beloved story of Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fishes. So beloved is this story that ministries of Loaves and Fishes, St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services are now major agencies addressing hunger in our local and global communities. Indeed, ALL Faiths offer similar ministries to alleviate the hunger in our world as part of their core belief in caring for each other.
This ministry to serve the hungry is all about saving lives, just as Jesus was called on by his apostles, pleading with him to feed the crowds.
As with most ministries, when feeding the hungry we need to remember that this is a a two-way ministry: those donating food and time come away with a better appreciation of the hunger in our communities and hopefully work to look at ways to work on the issues contributing to hunger: racism, poverty, and policies promoting greed and death.
Give us this day, our daily bread: Let us continue to feed the hungry, but also let us seek the root causes of hunger and disparities in our society that allow for this sin to continue.
Let us continue to speak up and out to our legislators, family and friends about the need for a new set of priorities. Let us become more fully human…
‘What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world.”
― Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith
Bread for the World prayer for Advent:
Peace
"Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky."
(Psalm 85:10-11)Prince of Peace, we seek you.
In far off lands, your children
flee their homes pursued by violence.
In our community, we know
not all our neighbors are safe from brutality.Prince of Peace, we seek you.
You sent your son, Jesus, to bring
your peace and comfort to the world.
In this season of Advent, renew and strengthen us
in a commitment to your peace that surpasses all understanding.Prince of Peace, we seek you.
May your peace fill our hearts
and grace our lips so that we might
be agents of your peace in the world.Amen
