Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp,

August is here. For Saint Polycarp, we have seen a month of priestly service from Fr. Francis; two weeks of our seminarian-intern, Eddie; and the arrival of Fr. Jaime. For me, I am grateful to the presence and support of Fr. Francis, who has been working so hard during his first month. I pray that with the arrival of Fr. Jaime, both me and Fr. Francis will have some time to recuperate.

Both the First Reading from prophet Isaiah and the Gospel Reading from the evangelist Matthew present us a similar message: God is feeding His people. Prophet Isaiah says, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without praying and without cost, drink wine and milk!” (Is 55:1). The evangelist Matthew recounts the miracle of feeding the crowd of over five thousand people, saying: “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children” (Mt 14:19-21).

The prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in the person of Jesus, who is our Bread of Life. The miracle of the bread in today’s Gospel points to a greater and profound truth: Jesus is our source of Life. He feeds us with His word of Life, and with His Body and Blood—the true source of Salvation.

An interest point in the Gospel comes to mind, which many of us have heard from different preachers. That is, Jesus multiplies the bread and He gave them to his disciples to be given to the people. Today, we take on that discipleship role. We are asked to give life to others, not just through basic material needs, but life-giving words.

May Our Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, and the Patron Saint Polycarp help us to live out the true meaning of discipleship.

Fr. Viet Peter Ho
Pastor