2 Kings 4:42-44
Ephesians 4:1-6
John 6:1-15
Fr. Timothy W. Castor (preached on Sunday, July 26, 2009)
Throughout Year B in the three-year cycle of readings, we normally hear the Gospel of St. Mark at Sunday Mass. But today we take a break from Mark and we begin a more-or-less continuous reading through the sixth chapter of Saint John’s gospel. This will last through the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time—a total of five weeks in a row. This chapter of sacred Scripture is very important to us as Catholic Christians, because it contains St. John’s teaching on the Most Holy Eucharist. In this chapter, the beloved apostle recalls a particular lesson which was given by the Lord while he was teaching in Capernaum. It is known to us today as the Bread of Life Discourse.
The stage is set for this important teaching with an amazing miracle which takes place on a grassy hillside along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is, of course, the feeding of the 5,000—one of the very few of miracles which is recorded in all four Gospels. It’s absolutely essential, first and foremost, that we understand that a real miracle took place here. This is crucial to our understanding of the event itself, and of the teaching which followed. I cannot stress this strongly enough, because of a certain false idea which has been circulating in sermons and publications over the last several years—an idea which strips this event of its miraculous nature. It is the suggestion that the feeding of the 5,000 consisted only in a gesture of human kindness and generosity. That when the people saw Jesus begin to share the food he had at hand, they were inspired to do the same with the food they had brought. And so there was no real multiplication of loaves and fishes, only a redistribution of the food which was already there. This idea, while it might hold a certain attraction for modern people, really amounts to a denial of the miraculous, a denial of Christ’s divinity. And thus it must be condemned as a most dangerous and blasphemous distortion of Sacred Scripture. Jesus really did multiply the loaves and the fishes, and he did so as an exercise of his divine power, showing that he truly is Lord of all creation and the provider of all our needs.
In today’s Psalm, we hear the words, “The eyes of all look hopefully to you, and you give them their food in due season; you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” The Lord indeed provides for all of his creatures—first on the material plane, providing all that they need for physical survival. But for those creatures created in his own image, the human race, his providence goes much further. Because for you and for me he also provides for our spiritual needs. In other words, God feeds not only the body, but also the soul. And, when you think about it, food for the soul is far more necessary.
This physical, earthly life is very short, and, for each one of us, it soon comes to an end. At that time, the soul will separate from the body and enter into eternity—eternal happiness with God in heaven, or eternal punishment and separation from God in hell. In this state, the soul awaits the resurrection when it will be reunited with its body, glorified and incorruptible. Since eternal life lasts forever, and because what we do in this life determines where we will spend the life to come, it’s important that we give proper nourishment to our souls even while we live this physical life on Earth. This nourishment comes to us through the grace of God, primarily in the sacraments of the Church, and in a life of fidelity to the Gospel marked by frequent prayer and by service to our neighbor.
This is precisely what Saint John wishes to convey to us in this sixth chapter of his Gospel. He illustrates the providence of God by recounting the miracle in which Christ fed a vast number of people—5,000 men plus their wives and children. He takes care to point out to us that this occurred near the time of the Passover. This is no coincidence because Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist during the time of Passover, transforming that Jewish ceremonial meal into the sacrificial feast of his own most precious body and blood.
Curiously enough, St. John does not give us an account of the Last Supper with the institution of the Eucharist like the other evangelists do. Instead, he uses the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 as a springboard for teaching us that Jesus will give us his own flesh and blood to be our spiritual food and drink in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This teaching will unfold for us in the weeks to come, and so I won’t jump ahead of myself today.
The take-home lesson for us on this Lord’s Day is that our King and God, Jesus Christ, will provide for all of our needs if we but trust in him. He is able to take something small and insignificant, and transform it into something great and wonderful because it is touched by his divine power and love. Our own talents, our own gifts might seem rather worthless—and, left by themselves, they can’t accomplish very much at all. But, like the small lunch of the boy in today’s Gospel, when we give our gifts over to God he transforms them and manifests his mighty power through us, bringing glory to his name.
That boy could have kept his food to himself—he would’ve gone home satisfied but everyone else would’ve been hungry. With faith and trust, he gave up the little that he had, perhaps thinking that he would go hungry. But Jesus took those few loaves and fishes and provided more than enough for everyone to be filled. He can do the same with you, with your life. Give your heart to him and let him transform you into a beacon of his love.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.