[Salvation]

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes is a Microcosm of Salvation History

"The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes" ("La multipliciteì de pains"; 1886-96) by James Tissot (WikiArt.org)

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, August 3, 2014 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Isa 55:1-3
• Psa 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18
• Rom 8:35, 37-39
• Matt 14:13-21

The story of the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand is well known. It appears in all four of the Gospels and is told with an understated simplicity that speaks to the historical veracity of the event and to the supernatural power at the heart of it. There are many levels to the narrative, beginning with the literal one: Jesus, moved with great pity, miraculously fed the hungry crowds that followed him into the wilderness.

But to better appreciate this story, proclaimed into today’s Gospel, we should be mindful of what St. Matthew wrote about immediately prior: the violent and heinous murder of John the Baptist by Herod the tetrarch (Mt 14:1-12). John had been imprisoned because he publicly rebuked Herod—who considered himself a Jew—for marrying his sister-in-law Herodias (who previous husband was still alive), a violation of the Law’s teaching against incest (cf. Lev 18:16; 20:21). Herod, bound by a rash promise made at his birthday celebration, ordered the execution of John, who was beheaded in prison.

A number of contrasts emerge. The violent and egomaniac Herod is contrasted with Jesus, who is moved by pity, mercy, and love. Herod grasped after earthy power and pleasures; Jesus, on the other hand, reached out in humility to the townspeople who hungered for his words. They are the ones who, as best they could, followed the exhortation of the Lord spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Heed me, and you shall eat well … Come to me heedfully, listen, that you might have life.”

While Herod feasted in a palace and shed innocent blood, Jesus and his followers ate simple food miraculously multiplied. And in doing so, as the Gospel of John emphasizes, Jesus taught how his innocent body and blood would be given up as true food and true drink (Jn 6:48-59).

Herod was a self-serving man driven by strong and sinful passions: lust, violence, anger. Jesus was perfectly oriented to the will of his Father, continually spending time in prayer so he could bring light and life to those dwelling in darkness and in the shadow of death. “In Herod”, writes Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis in Fire of Mercy, Heart of the World (Ignatius, 2003), “we see an instance of fear breeding a hatred that must destroy what it fears, while Jesus, free of fear, has the freedom to see misery for what it is and the power to pour himself out in response.”

The multiplication of the loaves and fishes is a microcosm of salvation history, a concrete demonstration of how the Incarnation reaches man where he lives so men can live where he cannot reach on his own.

The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand was both a reminder and a promise. It surely brought to mind how the prophet Elisha fed a hundred men with twenty loaves of barley and “had some left” (2 Kg 2:42-44), a miracle performed by “the word of the Lord”. And Jesus directly connected his ability to feed thousands with very little to the miracle of the manna (Jn 6:30-40).

But the feeding was also a miraculous foreshadowing and anticipation of the great gift of the Eucharist. In the Blessed Sacrament, the everlasting covenant anticipated by Isaiah and others comes to full fruition. In it, divine gift and abundance are perfectly realized and offered. “The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves,” states the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist” (par 1335).

Finally, notice that Jesus first told the disciples to feed the people on their own. He wanted them to recognize their limits—not to humiliate them, but to teach them true humility. With this humility we can say, in the words of the Psalmist: “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.”

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the July 31, 2011, editon of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

In the Presence of the Father

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

August 3, 2014. Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 14: 13-21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe you want me to have faith in you, faith that hearkens to your words without any second guessing. I hope in your words, not relying solely on my own strength or reasoning. I love you. You continue to astonish me by showing me that your ways are not my ways.

Petition: Lord Jesus, let me know you more intimately.

1. Heart-to-Heart with His Father: There is no greater joy than spending some quality time, one-on-one, with the person we love the most. We may have heard our dad say, “Let your mother and I spend some time together”, or “We are going on our second honeymoon.” It is also like the dad who treats his kids to a special dinner to celebrate something special – just father and son; father and daughter. Special things happen when we open our hearts to the one we love. Christ did this a lot. Always united to his Father, he treasured the moments of solitude he could spend speaking with him of the things they loved.

2. A Magnanimous Heart: After his love for the Father, Christ’s greatest love is us. He cannot stand to see us in need. Like any father, friend or brother, his heart melts when he sees us suffering. Christ always came back from the heart-to-heart times with his Father with a keen awareness of the needs of others and of ways to remedy any problem. It was so natural, almost effortless. Our own growth in virtue is directly related to how much time we spend in real, personal and passionate prayer with our Lord. From these heart-to-hearts, virtue grows and overtakes us in a very natural way, because our Lord’s love is contagious.

3. Nothing Is Impossible for God: God can perform miracles whenever he wants and however he wants. Nothing can hold him back. Still we often ask ourselves, “Why doesn’t Christ perform the miracle that I need in my life – my health problem, my work, my spouse, my children?” Could it be that we’re seeking something less than what He wishes to give us? God has a plan for each of our lives. It includes moments of great joys and of crosses. At times we may not understand God’s plan, but that’s when we need to pray all the more and entrust ourselves to him even more than before. It is only through humble, constant, urgent prayer that we’ll receive the answers to our heart-wrenching questions and the grace we need to carry the cross courageously and lovingly, following in the footsteps of the one who shows us the way by carrying our cross first.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to know you better as the one who loves me more than anyone else in the world. There’s so much noise and so many things and activities that compete for the time I would like to spend with you. Help me to make you the true priority in my life. I know this will bring order and peace to my life.

Resolution: I will spend five minutes before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament today.