Fragments

(Passing thoughts on two verses from this evening's Gospel)...

¹² And when they were filled, he said to his disciples: Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost.
¹³ They gathered up therefore, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above to them that had eaten.

Hearing these words, and somewhat neglecting their context, I thought: What is left over is not neglected or worthless in God's eyes. [Here I was thinking of stubborn pockets of faith in an unbelieving world, or flashes of goodness in a mostly wasted life.] He sends His workers to collect the goodness that remains, and when their work is done, they have found richness and abundance that one might not have expected. Then, when typing this, it also occurred to me that just as care was taken with the multiplied loaves, which were a type of the Eucharist, so we should also show exceeding care to not lose the smallest fragment of the true bread of heaven, which we receive in Holy Communion.

Unsurprisingly, the saints have a different take on this passage. Saint Thomas in the Catena Aurea, following Saint Augustine and looking at the larger picture, considers the leftover food to symbolize the Divine teachings which the multitude cannot take in immediately, which are entrusted to the Church (the 12 apostles) to distribute later.

For Saint John Chrysostom, the fragments serve to show that the multiplication was not an illusion, that the people were fed from the loaves mentioned, that Jesus created exactly the amount He willed, foreseeing how much would be consumed and how much would be left over.

Prayer for Confirmation Candidates

Father in Heaven, pour out Thy Spirit upon Thy confirmandi, to instruct and to guide them, to strengthen them against the temptations of this world and to instill in them a lasting hope for the next. Through Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God through the ages of ages.

Sancte Patrici, ora pro nobis

On the occasion of his first visit to Rathcrogan, the royal seat of the kings of Connaught, situated near Tulsk, in the County of Roscommon, a remarkable incident occurred, recorded in many of the authentic narratives of the saint's life. Close by the clear fountain of Clebach, not far from the royal abode, Patrick and his venerable companions had pitched their tents and at early dawn were chanting the praises of the Most High, when the two daughters of the Irish monarch — Ethne, the fair, and Fedelm, the ruddy — came thither, as was their wont, to bathe. Astonished at the vision that presented itself to them, the royal maidens cried out: "Who are ye, and whence do ye come? Are ye phantoms, or fairies, or friendly mortals?" St. Patrick said to them: "It were better you would adore and worship the one true God, whom we announce to you, than that you would satisfy your curiosity by such vain questions." And then Ethne broke forth into the questions:

"Who is God?"
"And where is God?"
"Where is His dwelling?"
"Has He sons and daughters?"
"Is He rich in silver and gold?"
"Is He everlasting? is He beautiful?"
"Are His daughters dear and lovely to the men of this world?"
"Is He on the heavens or on earth?"
"In the sea, in rivers, in mountains, in valleys?"
"Make Him known to us. How is He to be seen?"
"How is He to be loved? How is He to be found?"
"Is it in youth or is it in old age that He may be found?"

But St. Patrick, filled with the Holy Ghost, made answer:

"God, whom we announce to you, is the Ruler of all things."
"The God of heaven and earth, of the sea and the rivers."
"The God of the sun, and the moon, and all the stars."
"The God of the high mountains and of the low-lying valleys."
"The God who is above heaven, and in heaven, and under heaven."
"His dwelling is in heaven and earth, and the sea, and all therein."
"He gives breath to all."
"He gives life to all."
"He is over all."
"He upholds all."
"He gives light to the sun."
"He imparts splendour to the moon."
"He has made wells in the dry land, and islands in the ocean."
"He has appointed the stars to serve the greater lights."
"His Son is co-eternal and co-equal with Himself."
"The Son is not younger than the Father."
"And the Father is not older than the Son."
"And the Holy Ghost proceeds from them."
"The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are undivided."
"But I desire by Faith to unite you to the Heavenly King, as you are daughters of an earthly king."

[source]

Ash Wednesday

May God help us to do penance, and
to accept the cross that He has given us;
may we resolve always to do what is right
and remember that the pains of this world are transitory.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.