2. The Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development

4. “They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over- twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.” Matt. 14:20

5. Many of us will leave here today and enjoy a meal, alone or with friends or family.

6. The food we eat will nourish and energise us so that we can continue with our lives.

7. We enjoy an abundance of food, and the way that it brings us together.

8. This food is ‘fruit from the earth’, a gift from God…

9. …that will have been grown, harvested and prepared by many hands…

13. …by our own hands or the hands of our brothers and sisters around the world.

14. Yet, 1 in 8 of us will not have enough to eat today.

15. Poverty, changing climates, trade systems, conflict and war continue to oppress members of our global family…

16. …with debilitating hunger or daily concern for food for their families.

17. As we break our daily bread,

18. …let us develop a hunger for justice…

19. …for those who need essential nutrients to survive and be healthy…

21. …or income development skills…

22. …for those who need training and capital…

24. …to grow or harvest nourishing and sustainable food…

25. …and to lift themselves out of poverty.

26. Jesus championed the poor and identified with them: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat”. Matt 25:35

27. We see the face of Jesus in each other.

43. We celebrate God’s goodness in all our lives.

44. And we carry the burden of world hunger and food issues together.

45. Let us join together at the common table of the Lord.

46. “I invite all of the institutions of the world, the Church, each of us, as one single human family...”

47. “…to give a voice to all of those who suffer silently from hunger...”

48. “…so that this voice becomes a roar which can shake the world.” Pope Francis, launch of the Caritas Internationalis ‘Food for all’ campaign, 2013.

49. Project Compassion supports programs around the world that provide vulnerable people with the skills and opportunities they need to establish sustainable food sources for life.

50. Picture credits Fiji: Andrew Garrick and Drew Morrison Niger: Francois Therrien Australia:Danielle Lyonne Nepal:Stephen Kadlec PeruDrew Morrison Indonesia:Mie Cornoedus Music by Josh Woodward ‘Already There (Instrumental Version’ http://jamen.do/t/764954)

51. The Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development