Preparation for Sunday mass: Luke 9:11-17

We present here the text that will be read at Sunday mass, the Feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ), and we formulate some questions that might help us prepare to hear the reading.

11 Jesus spoke to the crowd about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. 12 The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place."

13 But he said to them, "You give them something to eat."

They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish-- unless we are to go and buy food for all these people." 14 For there were about five thousand men.

And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each."

15 They did so and made them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Questions for adults:

- What is the role of Jesus in the story?

- What is the role of the disciples in the story?

- Why does the Church choose this reading for the Feast of Corpus Christi?

Questions for kids:

- Why do the disciples want Jesus to send the crowd away?

- What does Jesus respond?

- How does Jesus feed the crowd?