Dear Brothers and Sisters:
This week we hear the Gospel of the Loaves and the Fishes. It is one of my favorite Gospel miracles. Jesus feeds a multitude of people with a few barley loaves and some dried fish. I’m not sure what captures the imagination more, the fact that Jesus fed such a vast number of people, (the Gospel tells us the men alone numbered 5,000! Add to that number women and children and you might be closer to 10,000 people!), or the fact that Jesus defied the laws of physics and literally multiplied the food so that there was enough for all! In any case, the Gospel gives us an insight into how Jesus feels about us and how he wants to care for each of us. How do we know these things? Well, the Gospel passage tells us so! After the death of John the Baptist the crowds followed Jesus to the deserted place where he went to pray. It tells us that seeing the vast crowd he was, “moved with pity” – literally the word in Greek used here is splagchnizomai (a mouthful right?), literally this word means – ‘to move ones guts’. So, it isn’t necessarily his heart that was moved, but that there is a real visceral response. His compassion physically moved him to action: to heal, to give comfort, to care for the people. As evening falls, he is moved to also feed the people.
If we look at the conversation that Jesus has with his disciples regarding the feeding of such a great number of people, we get a further insight into this compassion that inspires action. Jesus tests his disciples by asking them to provide food for such an immense crowd. He knows this is an impossible task, but he wants them to recognize this fact themselves. Basically, he sets them up! I have read interpretations of this scripture where it has been suggested that the miracle which took place was actually one of sharing. That Jesus sharing this simple meal in some way – guilt’s or shames the crowd, who already had secret food stuffs - to share what they had with others rather than just keeping it to themselves. It’s a nice thought – but if we go back to our original idea of Jesus being physically moved and then add to that, the question he asks his disciples, we see that the miracle that takes place is not one of sharing, but truly an act of God! If Jesus had intended for those around him to share what they were hoarding because of their selfishness, he would have addressed that fact, but he doesn’t. It’s clear he knew what he was doing! He was physically moved with compassion and in his power as God’s son provided the great miracle of feeding the multitudes. The only sharing taking place here was God’s gracious act of multiplying the simple meal so everyone had enough.
What does this all mean to us? Well, if the miracle implied people shared what food they already had it would be an inspiring story of what human beings of are capable of when called to do so, but this is a Gospel and the Gospels were written to remind us of who Jesus is as God’s Son and our savior. The Gospel is clear that God loves us and that he is moved to physically act on our behalf. With love and generosity like that, how can we fail? The Gospel also prepares the ground for the greatest act of giving that Jesus will give to the Church; the Eucharist! Everyday God comes to feed his children out of love and compassion, but not as bread or fish to nourish the body, but as an offering of himself to feed our hungry souls! Amen!
Peace,
Fr. Steve
