EXPLORE THE SUNDAY GOSPEL
The Return of the Twelve and the Feeding of the Five Thousand
Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."
They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.
MEET OUR EXTENDED FAMILY
Venerable Satoko Kitahara (Feast Day January 23)
August 22, 1929-January 23, 1958
Satoko Kitahara was born in Japan in 1929 to a wealthy aristocratic family, descended from samurai. When World War II began in 1940, Satoko went to work in an airplane factory, while her father and brother joined the army. While working at the factory, she lived in constant fear of attacks and miraculously escaped when her workplace was bombed. As a result of the bombing, Satoko became sick with tuberculosis. After the war, most of Japan was in ruins, including Satoko's home. When introduced to the Mercedarian Sisters at a nearby Catholic school, she was drawn to the sisters' deep faith. In 1949, Satoko was baptized, taking the name Elisabeth Maria. Although Satoko desired to be a member of the religious order, she was not accepted because of her poor health.
As a lay single person, Satoko dedicated her life to serving the poor of her community in an area known as the "Village of Ants," where children and young people survived by collecting and selling garbage. She gave up her money and belongings to live among the people, teaching them to read, building a school, and working to provide clean living conditions for them. Satoko died of tuberculosis in 1958 at the age of 28. Pope Francis declared Satoko venerable in 2014.
TAKE TIME TO CHAT
What is your favorite food?
In what way does today's Gospel remind you of the Eucharist?
What is the importance of the feast of Corpus Christi? In what way does this feast day help us to appreciate and reverence the Eucharist?
Thinking about Venerable Satoko Kitahara's commitment to the "Village of Ants," what lengths would you take to help someone in need? How could you help them grow closer to God?
FAMILY FUN
Haiku Contest
Channel your inner poet by throwing a family haiku contest in honor of Venerable Satoko Kitahara.
A haiku is an unrhymed three-line poem. It is based on a traditional Japanese poetic form. Haiku poems in English have the following pattern:
Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables
The last line usually makes an observation. Most often, haiku poems have a theme relating to seasons or nature.
As a family, pick a poetic theme that is related to today's52 Sundays content. Invite everyone to write one poem. Share and vote on the best one. Celebrate with ice cream when you're done!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Salsa and Cod
In honor of today's Gospel, put fish on the menu for dinner!
Cod fillets
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Tomato salsa
(optional) cooked rice
(optional) cilantro
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Season the cod with salt and pepper. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or a lightly greased casserole dish. Spoon a few tablespoons of salsa on each piece of fish. Drizzle olive oil on top if desired. Bake for 20 minutes or until fish easily flakes. Top with cilantro if desired. Serve over rice.
FAMILY PRAYER
ACTS Prayer
Consider using this prayer in Eucharistic Adoration and then sharing your thoughts as a family afterward.
This prayer will help you to stay close to Jesus. It has a simple
formula using the acronym, ACTS. Invite each family member to respond to
each prompt. Spend time reflecting and sharing afterward.
A - Adoration - I praise You, God, for...
C - Confession - I am sorry for...
T - Thanksgiving - I am thankful for...
S - Supplication - I ask You for...
LITURGY LINK
Just as the disciples helped to distribute the food in today's Gospel, we have Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) to help distribute the Eucharist.
How many EMHCs do you see at Mass today?
FAMILY CHALLENGE
Use the ACTS Prayer formula daily this week as part of your family prayer.
FUN FACTS
The Catholic Church has a process to canonize saints. To be "canonized" is to be officially recognized as a saint in the Church. The process has stages, and each stage has different requirements that must be met to move to the next step. The titles given for each stage are Servant of God, Venerable, Blessed, and Saint.
