These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. (Mk 8:1-10)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021222.cfm
The Feeding of the 4,000 reveals the Heart of Jesus and reminds us that feeding the hungry is not optional. Pope Francis summed up this passage very well: “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That’s how prayer works.”