August 4, 2025 Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest
Daily Readings: Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21
Today’s First Reading presents us with a tense moment, a crisis of leadership and faith. The Israelites, wearied by their desert journey, begin to complain bitterly. They yearn for the food they once had in Egypt: fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. Ironically, they begin to romanticize their past of slavery, forgetting the oppression they once cried out against. Now, they are tired of manna, a miraculous food from heaven, and demand meat.
Moses is caught in a painful dilemma. He is deeply disheartened, both by the people’s ingratitude and by what he sees as the overwhelming burden God has placed upon him. In anguish, he questions God: “Did I conceive this people? Did I give birth to them?” (Num 11:12). He admits his helplessness: “I am not able to carry all this people alone... If this is how You are going to treat me, put me to death at once” (vv. 14–15). Moses here expresses utter exhaustion; he feels broken, not because he lacks faith, but because his strength is spent. It’s a very human moment, reflecting the emotional toll of leadership and the cry for divine support.
In the Gospel, Jesus too, is surrounded by a crowd, but unlike the grumbling Israelites, this crowd is hungry for His presence and healing. Despite being in a deserted place and dealing with limited resources, only five loaves and two fish, Jesus performs miracles of abundance. Looking up to heaven, He blesses and breaks the bread. Everyone eats, and twelve baskets are left over. This prefigures the Eucharist, where Jesus not only feeds but offers Himself. The contrast is stark: whereas the Israelites complain in the wilderness, Jesus’ crowd receives in faith and is satisfied.
Call to Action: We all have needs, worries, and desires. But how do we approach God with them? Do we grumble in impatience or pray in trust? Today, let us ask for the gift of patience and to wait on God with faith, to carry others with grace, and to believe that He will provide, even when our resources seem meager.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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