July 28th 2024. Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
GOSPEL John 6:1-15
Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio
Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .
GOSPEL John 6:1-15
Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee or of Tiberias and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.
Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’ He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.’ So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself.
The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
SUMMARY
In the first reading, the servant of Elijah asks how they can expect to feed such a large group of people with just twenty loaves. Something similar happens in the Gospel. It is interesting that the multiplication happens at the time of Passover, the very time when God brings wondrous goods from a desperate situation. The people are satisfied by the food Jesus provides, but it is the disciples alone who are in a position to appreciate the significance of what has happened. Firstly, Jesus presents them with the challenge of how to find food for such a crowd. When the Lord puts us to the test, it is always for the reason of prompting us to grow. Andrew replies that a boy has five loaves and two fish, but how can that suffice? Now Jesus begins to operate, asking the disciples to get the crowd to sit down. This sitting down on the grass recalls the psalm which describes the Lord as a providential shepherd who makes us lie down to rest in green pastures. The miracle that follows shows us that there are two ways we can live life: according to our own capacities and our own calculations (“What is such little food among so many?”); or according to the providence of God. Another essential point is that the Lord feeds thousands of people, but only does so using the little that the disciples offered him. The act of placing our meagre offering in the hands of God is something that occurs in every celebration of the Eucharist. The Lord operates upon the bread and wine that we offer him. This is the secret of a fundamental synergy where the power comes from God but he still requires that we provide something that is ours. The works of God usually involve our contribution, even if what we provide is relatively miniscule. This is our great dignity. Christ fed this multitude, but it is also true that the disciples fed them. Let us open ourselves to the works of God which pass by way of our things. The will of God is not extraneous to our lives and our impoverished things. To experience Easter is not to search for something that is alien to us. It is our bread that the Lord multiplies! Our choice is either to give these loves to the Lord or to hold them back. For so long as we continue to live lives calculating on our own capacities, we will live a mediocre existence, but if we entrust our little offering to God, then we will experience the extraordinary.
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