2026 Cycle A - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145:8-9, 15-18; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Matthew 14:13-21

Homily Theme

Hunger& Thirst

In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, we are invited by the Lord to come to eat and drink, to feed our hunger and quench our thirst, in order that we may have life for the body.  God in His plan for our lives gave us the gift of hunger and thirst so that we would know the need to eat and drink nourishment to restore our bodies.  He also gave us a hunger and thirst for spiritual food and drink to feed our spiritual life so that we may grow in the love of God and live eternally with Him in Heaven. 

Paul asks us in the second reading, what can separate us from the love of God? Nothing can, except our own lack of hunger and thirst for Him. We feed our bodies when we are hungry and drink when we are thirsty but if we only eat and drink as often as we pray how hungry will we be? Imagine going for weeks and weeks without food or drink for our bodies: surely we would die. Those who try to live their liveswithout prayer and spiritual food we will die a spiritual death. We need to be feed in both body and soul. Let us resolve this Sunday to pray more often in order to feed our souls. God has given us the gift of hunger and thirst for both, in order that we might have life to the fullest: in our bodies and our souls.

In the Gospel today, Jesus satisfies the physical hunger of the vast crowd with a miraculous feeding of bread and fish, but take note of the alleluia verse that precedes it.  Jesus tells us”, Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God”. The greater miraculous food is His Body and Blood which we are commanded to receive in Holy Communion. Jesus has told us that unless we eat His body and drink His blood we will not have life. Today, millions and millions of baptized Catholics will not be at Mass to receive this miraculous food this Sunday: neither will they feed on His Word which they will not hear. Jesus hungersand thirsts for those who will be absent from the altar where the miracle takes place.  Do we hunger and thirst for Him? Really hunger and really thirst for Him? Then why are so many Catholics absent at Holy Mass? We must feed on His Body and Blood if we are to live with Him forever. Unless we eat His Body and drink His Blood we can not enter His everlasting Kingdom. He tells us so in John 6:32 through to the end of the chapter. Read it, for surely it will make this Sunday’s Readings really come alive for you and touch the hearts of the fallen away Catholics in your families, causing many to return to the Practice of the Faith if they dare to read it.

Everyone should know and remember this Chapter, if they truly

hunger and thirst for Christ.