Gospel (Mt 15,29-37) - Having left there, Jesus arrived at the Sea of Galilee and, having ascended the mountain, stopped there. A large crowd gathered around him, bringing with them the lame, the crippled, the blind, the deaf and many other sick people; they laid them at his feet, and he healed them. And the crowd was astonished to see the dumb speaking, the crippled straightening, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And he glorified the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said: «I feel compassion for this crowd: they have been following me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them back fasting, so that they don't faint along the way." And the disciples said to him: "Where in a desert can we find so many loaves of bread to feed such a large crowd?". But Jesus asked: "How many loaves do you have?" They replied: "Seven, and a few little fish." After ordering the crowd to sit on the ground, Jesus took the seven loaves and fish, gave thanks, broke them, gave them to the disciples, and the disciples distributed them to the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. Of the leftover pieces they took away seven full bags.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus, having returned to Galilee, climbs the mountain again. The high place in biblical language gives a glimpse of the unique intimacy between the Son and the Father, but in those days it transforms into a sort of sanctuary where the sick, the poor, the crippled are brought to be welcomed and healed. The text suggests that all this happens for three days in a row, almost without interruption. At the end it is Jesus who is moved and decides, after having nourished their hearts with the bread of the Word, to also nourish them with material bread. Jesus cares about our whole life, that of the heart and that of the body. The disciples, on the other hand, show their insensitivity towards the crowd and their needs. And when Jesus points out to them that they need to think about finding food, they can't help but express their resignation: it's not possible in that place. Jesus, who never gives up, invites them to search among the people if there is anyone who has bread. It is the second time that this miracle is narrated in the Gospel of Matthew. And it takes place in a pagan region - peripheral, we could say - to show that everyone is waiting for Jesus' nourishment. The disciples find only seven loaves of bread. Unlike the narrative of the first multiplication, the number of loaves is seven, just as there will later be seven baskets that collect those that remain. Seven indicates completeness. This is the task that Jesus entrusts to his Church, to his disciples. It is no coincidence that seven deacons will be chosen to carry out the canteen service. Jesus takes those seven loaves and multiplies them for all four thousand people present. It is a miracle born from Jesus' passionate love for that tired and hungry crowd. This evangelical passage invites us to have the same compassion as Jesus for the weak and the poor in order to participate in the miracle of the multiplication of love.