God Provides Food

July 25, Sunday

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

The traditional sign in the scriptures that God loves us and cares for us is that he provides food for his people, usually bread, the staple food in much of the world. Can we believe this when so many go hungry? Let us first ask ourselves whether food is lacking or the distribution and sharing are bad. The bread of the Bible stands not only for food for the body but also for God’s word, love, concern and presence. The most profound of these signs of God’s care is the Eucharist in which Jesus keeps giving himself as our food and drink for the road of life. Let us give thanks to the Father with Jesus this great gift.

 

First Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44

One day a man arrived from Baal Shalishah. He brought the man of God twenty loaves of fresh-baked bread from the early harvest, along with a few apples from the orchard.

Elisha said, “Pass it around to the people to eat.”

His servant said, “For a hundred men? There’s not nearly enough!”

Elisha said, “Just go ahead and do it. God says there’s plenty.”

And sure enough, there was. He passed around what he had—they not only ate, but had leftovers.

 

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6

To Be Mature

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

^4-6 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

 

Gospel: John 6:1-15

Bread and Fish for All

After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. It was nearly time for the Feast of Passover, kept annually by the Jews.

When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered, “Two hundred silver pieces wouldn’t be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece.”

One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this.”

Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.

When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted.” They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves.

The people realized that God was at work among them in what Jesus had just done. They said, “This is the Prophet for sure, God’s Prophet right here in Galilee!” Jesus saw that in their enthusiasm, they were about to grab him and make him king, so he slipped off and went back up the mountain to be by himself.

 

Prayer
God our Father,
you give your children everywhere
all the good gifts for a fully human life.
Let your Son give us the bread
of his word that nourishes our faith,
of his peace that brings us rest,
of his consolation that gives us hope and joy,
and the nourishing bread that sustains us
on the way to you and to people.
Make us share this bread with all
as a token of the feast meal
which you have prepared for us in heaven.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Reflection:

The boy who performed a miracle!

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?

Video available on Youtube: The boy who performed a miracle!