Sermon – Listen, All You Who Thirst (Matthew 14:13-21) – 2 August 2026

"The New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament." Thus says Saint Augustine.

Therefore, the reading of the prophet Isaiah helps us understand the Bible today. The prophet Isaiah says:

Come, you who are thirsty, come to the waters (...) come, buy and eat without paying (...)

Today we see that Jesus performed a miracle by feeding thousands of people.

They ate without paying anything… But God continues to teach, speaking through the Prophet:

"Why are you spending your money on something that doesn't provide bread, on something that doesn't satisfy your labor?"

Man is hungry and thirsty for happiness and immortal life, but where will he find this happiness? In pleasures, wealth, fame, honor; in short, in sin.

People believe that these things will quench the soul's thirst for happiness… But that is not the case.

How many times have we sinned believing it would bring us happiness, only to find ourselves immediately afterward yearning for happiness even more intensely than before?

This is what it means to waste effort ; to spend our time, energy, and strength on something that doesn't satisfy or fulfill us ...

Let's talk about Jesus again: The Lord heals the sick and then miraculously feeds them, and he does this freely; that is, he gives them a gift.

The important point to remember is this: love comes before the gift; I love first, then I give.

Interestingly, the Bible says Jesus was compassionate , meaning he did everything he did to those people out of love , offering them a gift.

Here, Saint Paul intervenes and says: "Who can separate us from the love of Christ?" (...) That is to say; Christ wants to save us , to quench our thirst for happiness and eternal life. Christ wants us to be happy! If Almighty God loves us, what can separate us from His love?

Therefore, Saint Paul says:

I am certain that neither death nor life nor angels (...) nor anything else created can separate us from the love of God that is revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus wants to fill us with happiness, but he won't if we don't allow it... The thing Jesus respects most is our freedom. He won't force us if we don't want to.

So what should we do? " Listen to me so that you may eat what is good (...) Pay attention, come to me : listen so that you may live ."

First: Hearing His word ; the Holy Bible, our conscience, the teachings of the Church.

Secondly: drawing closer to Him ; attending Holy Mass more often, worshipping His body in the Eucharist, contacting Him through prayer, making time for God in our homes…

Third: To follow Him ; to imitate Him in seeking the good of our brothers and sisters. If we do these three things, Christ will quench our thirst.

Listen to me and you will live.