father and the lord jesus christ and with your spirit welcome everybody to our beautiful st patrick's cathedral for our morning mass and as we prepare to celebrate the sacred mysteries let us acknowledge  you were sent to heal the contrite of heart lord have mercy lord have mercy you came to call centers christ have mercy christ have to mercy you are seated at the right hand of the father to intercede for us lord have mercy lord have mercy and may almighty god have mercy on us forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life amen let us  pardon the faults of your servants we pray oh lord that we who cannot please you by our own deeds may be saved through the intercession of the mother of your son and our board who lives  reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit one god forever and ever amen a reading from the book of numbers the children of israel lamented would that we had meat for food we remember the fish we used to eat without cost in egypt and the q cumbers the melons the leeks the onions and the garlic but now we are famished we see nothing before us but this man a man who was like coriander seed and had the color of resin and they had gone about and gathered it up the people would grind it between mill stones or pounded in a mortar then cook it in a pot and make it into loves which tasted like cakes made with oil at night when the dew fell upon the camp the manna also when moses heard the people family after family crying at the entrance of their tents so that the lord became very angry he was grieved why do you treat your servants so badly moses asked the lord why you're so displeased with me that you burden me with all these people was it i who conceived all these people or was it i who gave them birth that should tell me to carry them in my bosom like a foster father carrying an infant to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers where can i get meat to give all these people for they are crying to me give us meat for our food i cannot carry all of this people by myself for they are too heavy for me if this is the way you will deal with me and please do me the favor of killing me at once so that lord be with you are reading from the holy gospel according to matthew when jesus heard of the death of john the baptist he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself the crowds heard of this and they swallowed him on foot from their town when he disembarked and saw the vast crowd his heart was moved with pity for them and he cured their sick when it was evening the disciples approached him and said this is a deserted place and it is already late dismissed the crowds so that they could go to the villages and buy food for themselves he's a said to them there is no need for them to go away give them some food yourselves but they said to him five loaves and two fish are all we have here and then he said bring them here to me and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven he said the blessing broke the lows and gave them to the disciples who in turn gave them to the crowds they all ate and were satisfied and they pilled picked up the fragments left over twelve wicker baskets full of those who ate for about five thousand men not counting women and children the gospel of the lord we find from time to time in our hearing of the gospel that jesus with drew's with withdraws from the crowd and goes off to a place of solitude by himself sometimes that retreat of necessity to rest a little bit it's like our whole attitude toward vacation during the summer months we work hard all year we take some time one week two weeks three weeks maybe more just to pull away from things and to become recreated in a way and whether it's a vacation or what we call these days a staycation we just leave the office and you spend some quality time at home getting away the activity is an important thing but that's not the reason for the solitude of jesus in today's gospel jesus was seeking solitude because he heard of the death of john the baptist and that was terribly emotional experience for the lord john the baptist was his cousin john the baptist was a prophet and that time of solitude was so necessary for jesus but maybe you'll notice in today's gospel as we see in other passages where jesus calls a way that that time of solace is short lived that no sooner does he take the opportunity to pull away to go off by himself to connect with the lord of the crowds found him and they followed him and i suppose it's a pivotal moment for the lord he could have sent them all away and he could have used that time wisely to help himself become recreated but we don't find that in today's gospels the grief of jesus over the death of his cousin john the baptist was immediately turned into compassion and action and that's the formula that we see every time he's just discovers i need among the people that it's not only about him but it's about the people he came to serve and so the gospel begs the question for all of us what about you what about us is there ever an opportunity when we could take our own pain and grief and relieve the pain and suffering of another my brothers and sisters let us raise our voices and petition and prayer as we place our needs before our heavenly father for all the bishops and priests of the church that they will continue to inspire us with love and reverence for the eucharist let us pray to the lord for those in civil government that they will respect the religious rites and consciouses of all the faithful let us pray to the lord for those who are unable to meet the basic needs of their families that they will receive assistance from the christian faith will let us pray to the lord for all those who are homebound or and health care facilities that they will be strengthened and their days be brightened by those who bring the eucharist to them let us pray to the lord for our sister in christ and tonia and for all those who have died that they will forever enjoy the company of god and his angels and saints in heaven let us pray to the lord as we honor the memory of the mother of your son we pray oh lord that the o blazon of this sacrifice made by your grace make of us an eternal offering to you through christ our lord amen deeds in the exclamation of all the saints and especially as we celebrate the memory of the blessing virgin mary to proclaim your kindness as we go our thankful hymn of praise for truly even to earth and as you have done great things and extended your abundant mercy from a to a when you looked on the lowliness of your handmaid you gave us through her the author of our insult and praise as we exclai you are indeed holy oh lord the fount of old holiness make holy they have for these gifts we pray by sending down your spirit upon them like they do fall so that they may become for us the body and blood of our lord jesus christ at the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion he took bread and giving thanks broke it and gave it to his disciples saying take this all of you and eat of it for this is my body which will be given up for you in a similar way when suffer was ended he took the chalice and once more giving thanks he gave it to his disciples saying take this all of you and drink from it for this is the chalice of my blood  the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poor and out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this in memory of me you therefore as we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection we offer you lord the bread of life and the ch of salvation giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of christ we may be gathered into one by the holy spirit remember lord your church spread throughout the world and bring her to the fullness of charity together with francis our pope timothy our cardinal archbishop his brother bishops and all the clergy remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy welcomed them into the light of your face have mercy on co heirs to eternal life and may praise and glorify you through your son jesus christ through him and with him and in him oh god almighty father in the pray from every evil graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress as we await the blessid hope and the coming of our savior jesus christ but the kingdom the power and the glory are yours now and forever lord jesus christ who said to your apostles peace side leave you my peace i give you look not on our sins but on the faith of your church having been made partakers of eternal redemption we pray oh lord that we who commemorate the mother of your side may glory in the fullness of your grace and experience its continued increase