Coffee With God

Reflection: John 6: 1-15

The problem of food has been one of the most urgent issues for most of humanity throughout history. And we are referring to material hunger. Today’s Gospel tells us about Jesus feeding five thousand men who were probably together with their family with five loaves of bread and two fish, donated by a little boy. There is a danger in trying to understand this miracle literally. As a chronicle, it is improbable. How could 5000 men and their families go up the mountain to listen to a preacher? How many hours did it take for the disciples of Jesus to distribute those loaves and fishes to that huge a crowd? And then, they picked up the leftovers… Where did they go to look for those twelve baskets? Did they bring them empty? How is it possible that only one child kept the five loaves and the two fish? Often, children are the first to eat their food. In short, the evangelist John was not telling us a chronicle of events, but presented us a catechesis page, made of biblical images well known to the readers of his community. The evangelist begins his narration with a reference to the Jewish Passover – the event of exodus: a great multitude followed Jesus because they saw the signs he performed – as it happened with Moses. Moses led the multitude into the desert and there, they were fed with manna. In the Gospel, Jesus provides the multitude with bread in the deserted place. The miracle of Jesus is not only to feed them. Most importantly, he manages to make that crowd into a family who, sitting together, share a meal. He makes them a brotherhood. In fact, it is the boy who shares his bread, that made the miracle! In sharing bread, we begin to care for the well-being of our brothers and sisters. Jesus invites us to give hope to those who are desperate, welcome into our families those who are lonely, and give food to those who are hungry. Some time ago, I have mentioned here about a project called Mothers’ Meal, which began in India to feed a handful of workers who were stranded far from their homes during the early days of Covid-19 and the subsequent lock-down. Like the little boy’s willingness to share his piece of bread saved over 5000, a simple gesture of sharing the meal now is spread over many countries, where tens of thousands of poor are fed. Multiplication of bread still happens and we have a mission to feed the hungry. Do I share this desire to initiate the miracle and share the mission to end the hunger of those around me?