He received them and spoke to them about them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of [about] fifty.” They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.
Luke 9:11B-17 (NABRE)
Behold, the only miracle story that is found in all four Gospels. This should grab our attention and make us think.
First, we see Jesus practicing his own teaching. In Mark 10:42-45, Jesus tells his disciples to seek greatness in the kingdom of God through serving others and to refrain from abusing their authority in the Church by ruling over others with harshness and bombast. In revealing his divine power by simply feeding others, Jesus sets a precedent of love for all of us (but especially for those in positions of authority) to follow.
Next, we see in this passage a little example of Church life. The Letter to the Hebrews is dripping with teaching on the high priesthood of Jesus. It reminds us of the work of Jesus in the heavenly temple and his intercessory ministry on our behalf. The Church is the Body of Christ, and Jesus is obviously diligent in caring for his own body. The needs of the Church, down to the individual member, are not lost on Jesus anymore than the hunger of the crowd. A chief example of the attentiveness and care of Jesus is found in the bundle of Sacraments that he gave us. Two of these sacraments are Eucharist and Holy Orders, both of which are necessary for the celebration of the Mass. This passage is often described as a foreshadowing of these sacraments, as the disciples distribute the bread to the crowd, much like our priests give us Holy Communion. So much grace is available to us in the Mass, just like there was so much food available to the crowd when Jesus fed them with the loaves and the fish. We are in great need of grace, but we should not think that God is stingy in giving. On the contrary, he is overly generous, as we see in this miracle story! We should always approach Mass with confidence in the generosity of God.
Thank you for reading. Peace.
Eat the Scroll 