The Sunday Next Before Advent AD 2023

The feeding of the five thousand men with five barley loaves and two fishes took place at the time of the Passover. This is important to know because it helps us understand the meaning and message of this miracle. All of Jesus’ miracles are signs through which He reveals to us the mysteries of God’s grace as well as who He is and why He has come.

Passover was celebrated to commemorate the deliverance of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The blood of the Passover lambs killed on the eve of the exodus from Egypt saved Israel from the death of the firstborn. The loaves of unleavened bread taken with them when they left in a hurry nourished God’s people, and later the bread that came down from heaven kept them alive during their journey through the wilderness.

Jesus is the true Passover Lamb and He is the true Bread of Life that came down from heaven. He took the little that humanity had to offer Him – our human nature – and elevated it to unprecedented heights. Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, and His holy and precious blood saves all who believe in Him from eternal death and damnation. He nourishes us in the Holy Communion with His Body and Blood as heavenly bread, which refreshes us on our life’s journey and through which eternal life dwells within us.

After five thousand men had been fed from five barley loaves and two fish, twelve basketfuls of fragments were collected. Twelve is a number that refers both to the twelve tribes of Israel and to the fullness of all nations, of the whole mankind. Jesus Christ is the only true Salvation for all human beings.

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First Sunday in Advent AD 2023

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Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity AD 2023