Homily of Tuesday after the Epiphany. 6th January, 2026. By Fr Emmanuel Aghidi CSSp.
Theme: The Miracle of Compassion
Texts: 1 John 4-10, Mark 6:34-44.
Dear friends in Christ, in these days after Epiphany, the Church continues to show us how Christ is revealed, not only as light to the nations, but as compassion made flesh. The Gospel tells us that when Jesus saw the large crowd, “His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Before any miracle happens, before bread is multiplied, compassion happens.
Epiphany reminds us that God is not distant. He sees the crowd. He sees hunger, physical, emotional, and spiritual and He is moved.
The disciples, however, respond differently. They see the problem and want to send the people away. This is very human. Sometimes when challenges overwhelm us, our first instinct is to push them aside. But Jesus says something striking: “Give them something to eat yourselves.”
This command reveals an important truth: God’s miracles often begin with human cooperation. Jesus could have produced bread from nothing, but instead He asks the disciples to bring what they have; five loaves and two fish. It is small, inadequate, almost embarrassing. Yet in the hands of Christ, little becomes more than enough.
Dear friends, Epiphany teaches us that God reveals His power not through abundance, but through availability. What matters is not how much we have, but whether we are willing to place it in the hands of Jesus. Your time, your energy, your wounded heart, your limited resources, when surrendered to Christ can feed multitudes.
The Gospel also tells us that Jesus looked up to heaven, blessed, broke, and gave the bread. This fourfold action points clearly to the Eucharist. Christ continues today to feed His people, not only with bread, but with Himself. He knows that without this food, we will faint on the journey.
And finally, we hear that twelve baskets of fragments were left over. God is never stingy. When He provides, He provides in abundance. When we trust Him, we discover that there is always more grace than we imagined.
Are we ready to cooperate with God as He calls us daily and opens our eyes to the needs of others? In a world where hate and selfishness abide, we can be the instruments of God’s compassion.
May the Lord bless His words in our hearts. Amen.
