The words of Isaiah were intended to give heart to the people of Israel after their terrible defeat and exile. God has not forgotten them, and there will come a day when all tears will be wiped away and the people will feast abundantly on God's holy mountain. Those who live in hope refuse to give in to negative images and experiences. They continue to place their hope and trust in God, despite temporary difficulties.

The Gospel proclaims the same theme as Jesus heals people and makes them whole. Not content with that, He feeds them miraculously, so that all were able to eat their fill. Jesus clearly is God's love in human form and the healer of broken hearts and bodies. We are encouraged to cleanse our minds and hearts of negative images of God and replace them with those of compassion and kindness. The greatest service we can do for God is to proclaim to others the absolute goodness and mercy of God, but we will not be able to do so if we are still harbouring fear and guilt within ourselves. Perhaps we can take the difficult or painful situations that we experience and hold them before the image of Jesus healing and feeding others on the mountain top.