August 2, 2026
Of Feeding the needy Pope Francis remarked:
We find Jesus’ wounds in carrying out works of mercy caring for the body of your wounded brother, because he is hungry because he is thirsty because he is naked, because he is humiliated, because he is a slave, because he is in jail, because he is in the hospital.
Those are the wounds of Jesus today.
And Jesus asks us to take a leap of faith, towards him, but through his wounds in his people today.
We need to touch the wounds of Jesus, we must caress the wounds of Jesus, we need to bind the wounds of Jesus with tenderness, and we have to kiss the wounds of Jesus, and this literally.
Just think of what happened to St Francis, when he embraced the leper. (May 2016)
This is what is behind Jesus’ wish to feed the hungry. He feeds bread for physical hunger, but the story of the gospel today is more than bread for hungry people. It is getting fully involved in the lives of those in need. It is the calling of the church: to practise the works of mercy.
Any Christian group, parish or otherwise, tries to reach out to those most in need in their area. Today the hungry need to be fed, refugees and homeless need a home, and those wounded by life need healing. The call of the church is truly to be ‘the field hospital’ of Jesus and his disciples in the world.
Think of someone really poor; see Jesus beside him or her. Pray as you feel drawn.
Give us today, O Lord, and to all our world, our daily bread..