17th Sunday - "What good are these for so many?"

 

John 6: 1 - 15

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072824.cfm

O God, protector of those who hope in you,

without whom nothing has firm foundation,

nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy 

upon us and grant that, 

with you as our ruler and guide,

we may use the good things that pass

in such a way as to hold fast even now

to those that ever endure,

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

(Collect of Sunday)

If you ever wonder about the generosity of God, just think of today’s Gospel.  The miraculous feeding of more than 5000 hungry people, “as much as they wanted,” must have been astonishing, not to mention all that was left over! This became apparently more than just some for many but rather a feast of bread and fish for they all ate and were satisfied. So impressive was this event that each of the four Gospel writers relates, albeit in somewhat varied way, this miracle or "sign" as John refers to the miracles of Jesus; an indication, a sign, of who he is.

It is a rather popular interpretation of this event to turn away from the miraculous nature of it to place a more relational interpretation.  In other words, some have said that the real miracle was not that Jesus literally produced more food from nowhere but that the throngs were moved by Jesus to share the food they had with each other so that no one would to without.  Hmm, don’t buy that.

John in our Gospel passage this day calls this event a “sign” a miracle that reveled who Jesus is.  He means exactly what it says, a miraculous event that defied the natural order – Jesus produced more food.  Secondly, he states that the fragments gathered into 12 baskets, were fragments of bread from the five loaves that Jesus was given, they were not scattered remnants of food that people shared from their own supply. They had no food to share; they were tired and hungry, so our Lord supplied food for the them from a meager amount out of compassion.

The parallels with Moses in the desert, God’s miraculous manna “bread from heaven” that sustained the Hebrew band along their way, and the fact that Jesus, like Moses, went up the mountain to teach are clear in this.  John presents Jesus as the new Moses for his people who will lead them to the promised land.

And, importantly for us as well, as for the early Christians, it was a memory, for some an experience, and for all a foreshadow of the Holy Eucharist. Jesus, the Bread of Life which sustains us on our journey.

There are multiple other examples that Jesus always responded in a lavish, unexpected way to those who asked him.  The ultimate example of course was the sacrifice of his own life for the sake of restoring a broken humanity with God and his promise of eternal life for those who believe.  What more could he possibly have done that would prove God will never be equaled in his giving?

This Sunday’s familiar Gospel story about feeding thousands of hungry people is far more than an amazing tour de force. Did Jesus do this to draw attention to himself and his power?  The crowds saw the potential of what more could be done by him as king. John states: “Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king,” so “he withdrew again to the mountain alone.” (Jn 6: 15).

The impoverished crowds, understandably, wanted to make him their king.  In doing so he would release the bondage of Rome and create a nation in which prosperity would reign, because he had the power to do so, or so the crowds assumed. For that reason, Jesus ran away from them for he was not the kind of Messiah they imagined.

As the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John continues in the next weeks, we will see a deepening of this miraculous event.  That Jesus himself is the “bread from heaven.” That the true bread he will give will bring eternal life; it will be our food for the journey in this life as we look toward the next.

The sign is not centered only on what Jesus can do but rather on who he is. In both word and action, he uncovers the truth of God’s mystery.  Faith in him will bring abundance – not wealth and power but God’s grace and eternal life.

In our Mass, the “summit of the Christian life,” we are on a mountain with the Lord as the crowds who shared in that miraculous moment. Jesus created with them and now with us, a connection, a sense of community with himself as the source of that event.  So too in the liturgy, we come together as brothers and sisters in the Lord and a sense of community is present. Our liturgies since the reform of Vatican II have done this powerfully. St. Paul reminds us today from Ephesians, that we “preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” The Eucharist by its nature implies unity and creates a unity of believers in Christ.

In the miracle story, Jesus “took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them.” So too in the Mass, bread is received, offered in thanksgiving, transformed to his presence, and then distributed so that all can be fed. This bread is not like the bread they ate or the manna in the desert we hear referred to by Elisha the prophet in the first reading.  This bread will satisfy in a way unlike barely loaves and fish only give temporary relief.

Many are gathered, a sense of community, a word is shared, food is offered then transformed, and we are fed and sent to carry on his work.  If that doesn’t create a feeling of awe and wonder nothing will. When you attend Mass plug into this great mystery and find a deeper respect.  Don’t ever take this for granted because there is nothing that will ever equal what God has done and continues to do in and through his Church.

7/21: 16th Sunday: Sheep without a shepherd

 

"Come away by yourselves . . . and rest a while"

Mark 6: 30-34

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072124.cfm

Show favor, O Lord, to your servants

and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, 

that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity,

they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirt,

God for ever and ever.

(Collect of Mass)

Often after returning from a vacation that was filled with all kinds of adventures and activities, such as an overseas tour, we may feel that we need a little “mini vacation” after the vacation to catch up and recover. It might be readjusting to the local time zone, catching up on mail and email, or getting the home in order before going back to a routine.  Generally, it might mean taking a bit of a rest to get organized again.

That’s the context in which our Gospel this Sunday can be seen.  The disciples of Jesus had just been sent out “two by two” on mission to preach and heal and now they return from what must have been a tiring but very successful journey.  

We hear as well that these men were thrilled with the results they saw. Although tired and hungry, their enthusiasm must have pleased the Lord. Yet, predictably, they were a bit filled with themselves and the power that Jesus had shared with them. So, before the false assumption that all success was due to them alone, Jesus recognized their human need as well. So, get away from the gathering crowds and the demands of the ministry and just recharge with a bit of R and R to rest a while.  Jesus recognizes this and invites them to: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Sounds good to me!

However, that was short lived for, “. . . people were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat . . .” They attempted a slip away on the Sea of Galilee but evidently the crowds noticed their clandestine plan. The need was so great and the hunger of the crowds for the preaching of Jesus, that their own personal needs may have to be set aside for a little while more.

The crowds found in Jesus a charismatic teacher unlike any other.  He brought them hope and healing and a new meaning and purpose for their lives.  What greater human need is there than for an existence which is meaningful and fulfilling? He was a very good shepherd to his people and the disciples, soon to become Apostles, were called to model themselves after his example. It’s all very ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.

However, you would know from our first reading of the prophet Jeremiah that such shepherds had not been in the historical memory of the Jewish people. Still, God warns his people, in particular their leaders that they had been poor shepherds who “mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture.” These leaders, among them the Kings of Israel hundreds of years before the coming of Jesus, had been everything they should not have been compromising the purity of the Jewish faith by mixing with other pagan religions, allowing sacred worship to be overrun with corruption and scandalizing the people who were desperate for unity and satisfaction in their faith.  “Where is our God,” they must have cried.

Hope was offered since God decided to take over and directly intervene in this desperation by his promise: “I will gather the remnant of my flock . . . I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king he shall reign and govern wisely, do what is right and just in the land.” A real shepherd will come to gather the broken and lost under his kingdom.  As Christians we of course see this as a prophecy to send the best shepherd of all, Christ Jesus himself.

So, while the crowds continued to collect with Jesus and his band of disciples, even pursuing them to the other side of the lake not giving them rest, it was the need it self that Jesus responded to and provided the example for his disciples.  “He was moved with pity . . . for they were like sheep without a shepherd.” This deep compassion to set things right moved Jesus and in like manner his disciples to not rest at this time but to respond to the need of the crowds before them.  Such compassion for others is a powerful motivation for action. But it is also a lesson in remembering whose mission this really is, that of Jesus who we are privileged to promote.

The mission of Christ we are all entrusted with means that at some point we need to recognize that our own needs may not always be the most important.  So, maybe the question for us is that rather than moan and complain about scandal and poor leadership which indeed we have seen over the years, would it be better to provide for what might be lacking in the Church today?  Would it be better by our own good example and faithful leadership, however that may be played out in our lives, and I include myself of course, to provide for the Church what may be lacking?  What good do we see and where can we offer that good in greater ways? In other words, what is my ministry; my living out of my Christian mission? How and where do I attend to the needs of the flock before me?

If we all think about it, we all have others who look to us for something:  children to their parents, grandchildren to their grandparents, patients to their health care providers, clients to their attorneys, parishioners to their pastors, teacher and students, etc. and further in the Church leaders to attend to the faith formation needs of the flock.  More examples are obvious as we reflect on our own lives.

So, what is your ministry?  What part of your life can be identified as a share in the mission that Jesus offers you?  In short, the mission of Christ is a way we offer to others a sharing in the love of God for his people.

Next Sunday, our Gospel is about the loaves the fishes and the feeding of this very crowd that pursue Jesus and his band of men.  They are now hungry and tired, and Christ sees a golden opportunity to not just attend to their physical needs but in a dramatic gesture show them how God’s generosity is available for all.

So, let’s examine our hearts as disciples on the mission of Christ given us. Our Eucharist gatherings remind all of us of whose mission we are privileged to share in.  As Mahatma Ghandi once said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” To do all in the name of Christ, after all it is his mission we carry and not our own. As Pope Francis has coined, we are “Missionary disciples” of Jesus.