Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: God's Endless Love, Generosity, and the Bread of Life
Readings and Virtual Homily for August 2, 2026, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Cruise Control at San Gabriel Media; What a Celebration; August Schedule
Readings for Mass this Sunday:
Isaiah 55:1-3
Psalm 145:8-9, 15-18
Romans 8:35, 37-39
Matthew 14:13-21
Dear Friends and Family,
This week's Gospel is the miracle of the loaves and the fish.
The Gospel is prefigured in the first reading in that Isaiah invites the reader to come and feast, eat rich fare and drink premium wine, at no cost (vs 1). Isaiah 55 is one of my favorite passages in Scripture for its description of the bounteous providence and limitless love of God.
Psalm 145 underscores this theme. "The Lord is gracious and merciful," the psalm attests, "slow to anger and abounding in kindness" (vs. 8). "Compassionate toward all," the psalm continues, the Lord gives "them their food in due season" (vss. 9, 15).
The passage from Romans, often read at funerals, assures us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (vs. 39). Paul lists various misfortunes that might befall us (vs. 35) and goes on to speak of potential danger from the spiritual realm (vs. 38) but concludes that God's love overcomes every conceivable obstacle.
The Gospel story itself, apart from describing one of Jesus' most astonishing miracles, prefigures the Eucharist. Jesus takes, blesses, breaks and distributes the bread (vs. 19) and the many are fed with miraculously provided food. There is so much that twelve baskets of left-over food are collected after all had eaten "and were satisfied" (vs. 20). Matthew goes on to emphasize the enormity of this miracle: "Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children" (vs. 21).
I have said this before in these written homilies, but I suppose it bears repeating. While it is lovely to think that the effect of Jesus on his hearers was such that everyone brought out the food they had packed for the day and shared with everyone else, and that this was the "true miracle" of the passage...
There seems scant reason for going there. Number one, this assessment of the passage simply denies the plain meaning of the text. Number two, later passages refer back to this miracle, suggesting its importance (i.e., Mark 6:51-52). Number three, if everyone had stopped at McDonalds on the way, or packed a lunch from home, why was there any need to share? Why were the disciples anxious that Jesus dismiss the crowd so that "they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves" (vs. 15)?
The reasons for questioning this interpretation are not exhausted here. I simply point these out as indicators that it seems to me more reasonable, to say nothing of keeping with the plain meaning of the text, to suppose that what Matthew describes -- a stupendous miracle -- is what actually happened.
That miracle, as mentioned, prefigures the miracle of the Eucharist, where our loving and infinitely generous God literally gives himself to us; invites us, as Isaiah predicts, to "listen to me and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare" (vs. 2). The prophet predicts Jesus' very words at the Last Supper: "I will make with you an everlasting covenant" (vs. 3).
That covenant, of course, ratified in Jesus' body and blood, is realized at every Catholic (and Orthodox) altar, whenever the Mass is celebrated.
I had planned to be in Los Angeles this week, for meetings about books and YouTube programming. I canceled at the last minute owing to a perfect storm of factors which included an emergency involving one of my twenty-something nephews. My nephew himself is fine, but he needed me nearby the middle of this week. We are dealing with the situation but the immediate need has been attended to, and I am glad it developed before I left for the south state.
In any event, things are moving right along at San Gabriel -- new YouTube programming being filmed and released, four new books to be in print this fall, and book promotion and advertising plans moving forward, with an eye toward implementing same after Labor Day.
Assuming we are able to splash in with the book marketing campaign it will be a first for us. Our marketing focus has up to now been centered on the YouTube channel and growing our subscription base. That effort is going along so smoothly at this point that I liken it to cruise control. We are free to turn our attention to other aspects of the ministry, and the first in line of these considerations is getting word out about my books. I will soon have over twenty in print and the only people who have any idea that these books exist are people who know me personally. Admittedly, that is a number well into the thousands, but I have believed from my early twenties that I have an audience "out there," the same way any other writer does. I have always said that a work of art is incomplete until it meets its audience. That is now Job One at San Gabriel, and it will likely continue to be so through the end of this decade.
We had quite a celebration in the parish this past Sunday, marking my twentieth anniversary; I am working on getting thank yous out, both hand-written notes where I have addresses, and electronically. The Mass itself was so joyful that I could have stopped there, and walked on air for several days afterward. Then came the reception. Oh my goodness. No effort at a summary can do that celebration justice. I LOVE St. Clement.
On that note of joyful gratitude, I will sign off.
Hope the mid-summer is treating you well.
Take good care and God bless.
Love,
Fr. Brawn
August Schedule (all Masses English):
Sunday, August 2
8 and 1115 AM; 630 PM
Saturday, August 8
5 PM
Sunday, August 9
8 AM, 630 PM
Sunday, August 16
8 and 1115 AM, 630 PM
Saturday, August 22
5 PM
Sunday, August 23
630 PM
THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF PLEASANTON (Seton campus)
11 AM
Sunday, August 30
8 and 1115 AM, 630 PM
Weekday Masses (all 8 AM; all English):
Mon. the 3
Fr. the 7
Sat. the 8
Mon. the 10
Thur. the 13
Sat. the 15
Mon. the 17
Thur. the 20
Sat. the 22
Mon. the 24
Fri. the 28
Sat. the 29
Mon. the 31