How great is our God? He literally feeds us with his Word, and today’s Word is all about feeding people.

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Isaiah told us long ago, You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! (Is 55:1) Our little ones come without money and are fed without cost. We would never consider payment from our children. Even when they are grown, we want to feed them and care for them. As the mother of adults, I love it when I can host my people. I want to lavish them with rich fare. I am thrilled when they want to be with me. I am rewarded when they are at my table. Today, I can understand God’s point of view a little better.

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God does not ask for payment, but he does ask something of us in this passage. Heed me, and you shall eat well…Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have new life (Is 55:2-3). He asks us to come to him and to listen to him. Like a mother beckoning her child, he calls to us, “Come here. Come here and listen to me. I have good things for you.”

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St. Paul explains in the reading from Romans how nothing can separate me from God’s love. I know that God loves me, but I also know that I can be a better participant, a more conscientious Christian. I can sympathize with a loving and loved-but-forgotten God. I have rushed through mornings without prayer, eaten meals without giving thanks, and complained about trials without offering them up. I can do better. His love changes me; my prayers change me. My participation in our relationship only improves me. My spouse and children can assure you that I definitely need improvement.

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I have heard St. Matthew’s Gospel of the feeding of the five thousand, dozens if not hundreds of times, but this time, I heard the beginning of the story.

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When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself (Mt 14:13).

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There are many paintings of John and Jesus as babies, playing with their mothers nearby. As cousins, they were as close as brothers. The death of John the Baptist and the manner of his passing was tragic, devastating news. I have lost a sibling, and I have felt a similar pain. How did I always miss this part of the Gospel?

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The crowds followed him, and rather than retreating further away, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick (Mt 14:14). Oh, how he loves us, even in the midst of his own grief. God is love, and he cannot help himself from caring for those who come to him.

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Then, evening comes. Jesus, tired both emotionally and physically, does not dismiss the crowds; he stays with them. He makes sure they are fed. He cares for them, even though his heart is sore. Like a parent at the end of an exhausting day, he pours his love out on us regardless of his own state of mind. Nothing can separate us from his constant care and concern. We just have to choose to follow him and to listen to his word, like those in the crowd on that blessed day.