Tuesday after Epiphany

God Is Love

Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II

Introduction

Here comes the great theme of the apostle John, almost like an obsession, both in his letter and in the gospel: God is the origin of all love. For he is love: a love that is giving, a love, as the gospel shows, that is compassionate. Self-communication is the mark of love: within God, from God to people and the world. He gives us his Son, who showed in his person that to love is to give up oneself out of love. And on the part of people, love means also to receive, to be willing to accept love as a pure gift, both from God and from one another.

Opening Prayer

Lord God, our Father,
you took the initiative of loving us
before we could ever love you,
for love is your name
and you are a God of people.
Help us to recognize this love
become flesh in Jesus your Son.
Let him stir and transform
the very depths of our hearts,
that we too may offer to you and to people
all the love of which you have made us capable
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

First Reading

1 John 4:7-10

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8

R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Alleluia Verse

Luke 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mark 6:34-44

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply,
“Give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food
and give it to them to eat?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
And when they had found out they said,
“Five loaves and two fish.”
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples
to set before the people;
he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments
and what was left of the fish.
Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

Prayers of the Faithful

– For the Churches groping for unity, that one day they may eat together from the same table the one bread of the Lord, we pray:

– For all people of good will, that they may build up together a just society based on fairness and love where there is no room for any discrimination, we pray:

– For all of us here, that we may form a community of service, love and hope, open to all needs and all just aspirations, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, loving Father,
in every Eucharistic celebration
you let us experience again and again
your self-giving love.
Accept in this bread and this wine
our own meager efforts
to become to people
bread broken and shared,
together with Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord, our God and Father,
accept our thanks for loving us
even before we could love you.
Prepare us not only to give love
but also to receive it
from you and from one another
in all simplicity and gratitude.
For this is the way you taught us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

We have broken bread with the Lord. This commits us to call on all human resources to share with those in need food, justice, culture and freedom. May God strengthen and bless you for this task, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTIONS

A Dirty God

A hungry crowd. A tired Jesus. It has been a long day. The news of the death of John the Baptist would have been weighing heavily on him. Moreover, his disciples needed rest after an arduous missionary journey. It would have been tempting for Jesus to dismiss the crowd, ask them to go home or find food, and for Jesus and disciples to retire for the day. But he wouldn’t. Feeding the stomach was as important as feeding the soul. It is easy to preach love. It is hard to put love to work by tending to people’s raw needs. But the Gospel demands it, for Jesus did so. Pope Francis speaks for him: “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets.” This is love: Not that we loved God, but that he first loved and made his hands dirty for us.

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Mark 6: 34-44

Sharing the Bread of Life in a Hungry World

“Little is much when God is in it.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus feeds over five thousand people with just five loaves and two fish, revealing his deep compassion for the crowd, who sought his healing and teaching. Moved by their hunger—not just for food but for hope—Jesus transforms a meagre offering into an abundance.

This miraculous feeding points to a deeper reality. Jesus' actions—taking, blessing, breaking, and giving—mirror those of the Eucharist. In the breaking of bread, Christ’s entire mission is encapsulated: He took on flesh, blessed humanity with his presence, was broken in suffering, and gave himself for the salvation of the world. This same pattern unfolds in our lives as Catholics.

Jesus takes us as we are—flawed, wounded, and imperfect. He blesses us, pouring out grace despite our shortcomings. He holds our brokenness in his love, transforming our pains into opportunities for growth. Finally, he gives us to others, calling us to share his love with the world.

This mission is not without challenges. Sharing love, forgiveness, and time often feels unappreciated, even exhausting. But small acts of kindness, rooted in Christ, have extraordinary power. A simple phone call to a lonely friend, patience with someone who frustrates us, or a word of encouragement to someone in despair can become a miracle for someone hungry for love and connection.

In a world starved for compassion, our willingness to share—our time, forgiveness, or even a listening ear—makes Christ present to others. Just as Jesus multiplied the loaves, he will multiply our small efforts, using them to build his kingdom of love.