Isn’t it true that a good celebration, a party, a banquet, a family gathering, an evening with an old friend, a date with a special loved-one, etc., nearly always involves the sharing of some type of meal? Isn’t it also true that when good and plentiful food is shared generously among friends and family, that such exchanges bring life and joy to all (to both those who give and to those who receive)? It’s obvious to us that eating and drinking are more than simply basic survival needs; we also know that at the same time we share our food, we celebrate our lives together!
The sharing of food, an action even echoed by our Eucharistic celebration, really is a paradigm for all of life’s activities, and the way we are called to relate to one another; when we nourish others by giving of ourselves in service to them, especially those who are less fortunate, then we affirm the value and the dignity of their very lives. With this thought in mind, we might gain some insight into the message of today’s Gospel account.
St. John speaks of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, and the feeding of the five-thousand. This story is a continuation of the same narrative we encountered last week from the Gospel of St. Mark (see Mark 6:30-34 and John 6:1-15). It tells us that not only did the compassionate Jesus think the crowds of people who had been following him were “like sheep without a shepherd” (see Mark 6:34), but he was also concerned that they be nourished as well. St. John tells us that Jesus wanted to be sure that those people had something to eat, and so he asked “where can we buy enough food for them?” (see verse 5b).
After the disciples complained that the cost of feeding such a large amount of people would have been impossibly expensive, suddenly they encountered a small child who gave them his five loaves of bread and his two fish. These offerings were then presented to Jesus, who then “took the five loaves and gave thanks” (see verse 11). The provisions were then miraculously multiplied, so much so that “five-thousand men” (and perhaps as many women and children) were then given more than plenty to eat (see verse 10). As if to illustrate even greater the magnitude of the miracle, the Gospel also tells us that afterward “the fragments left over . . . filled twelve wicker baskets” (see verse 13).
Exactly how this miracle occurred, and the particulars of how the five loaves and two fishes were multiplied and distributed, is something of a mystery to us. What we do know for sure from this story is that the generous sharing of food among all of those people brought life and joy to all who were there! Through his preaching and by his own actions, which were motivated by compassion and love, Jesus made it clear to his followers how he expected them to treat others. In this example, he also taught that by sharing even what at first seemed to be an insignificant amount of food, an abundance of life itself could be given to many!
Just as our Lord felt it was important to meet the physical needs of the people by feeding them, so we too must live our Christian lives in ways that generously reach out to those in need. I believe this is a very important dimension of the Christian way of life. Today, may we once again recommit ourselves to sharing our lives with others by the way we feed and serve those who are less fortunate than ourselves, especially the neediest among us. May we faithfully bring life and joy to all we meet, not only as we gather to share meals, and to join together in celebrating the breaking of the bread, but through all of the actions of our lives!
Praise God! Friar Timothy
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