17th Sunday of Ordinary Time
First Reading: 2 Kgs 4:42-44
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
Second Reading: Eph 4:1-6
Gospel: Jn 6:1-15
Today's Gospel is taken from the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John. This one chapter of the New Testament contains the deepest Eucharistic theology in scripture, the chapter of the Bread of Life.
It begins with the multiplication of loaves and fish, told using the same words that Jesus uses in the other Gospels when he institutes the Eucharist. This miracle-event is followed by an in-depth study of the Bread of Life and finally concluded by the call to faith and the disciples' response: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of Eternal Life." This story of the feeding of the five thousand is found twice each in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, once in Luke and once in John. It is, In fact, the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels - today we listen to the event as it is described by St John.
In all these presentations Jesus takes the bread, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples. These same words are used at the Last Supper - words we hear repeated each time we celebrate the Eucharist. However, there is a particular focus in the Gospel of John. In John, Jesus has a tremendous compassion for the people whom he sees as hungry for the Word of God.
At the conclusion of today's Gospel we see that the people have completely misread the sign. For John, all of Jesus' acts are "signs" - sacraments that point to a deeper reality. He sees our weaknesses, our tendencies towards selfishness and anger and pride and he understands how we long to become very different than we are. He sees our mortality and our longing for eternity. It is clear that the people do not appreciate the deeper meaning of what they have just experienced. The reaction of the crowd shows that they thought wrongly that Jesus was the triumphant and political Messiah. So Jesus goes "back to the mountains alone." The people had indeed misread the sign.
But let's look at this episode in its proper perspective. For the last few weeks we have been listening to the Gospel of Mark. During that time we saw the call of the first apostles, His summoning of the Twelve and sending them forth to preach and heal the sick… We listened as they returned, full of excitement and pride over the great deeds they, too, were able to accomplish in His name. Jesus then invites them to rest for "a while". But that was not to be. He sees the hungry crowd and moved with compassion, he rouses the disciples to their feet and he feeds thousands.
Throughout the rest of this chapter we pick up the story from John's viewpoint. We hear Jesus proclaim: "I Am the bread of life," we watch the now nourished crowd begin to wonder and argue among themselves: "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" They can't - or won't - bring themselves to believe this wonderful news; they begin to leave. Jesus then turns and asks his disciples: "Do you also want to leave?"
In this context, today's Gospel story speaks a much more powerful message. The miracle of the loaves and fishes shows Jesus' deep concern for those around Him. He recognizes their need and from a few loaves and fishes produces an abundance to fill the hunger of the multitude. But this event is a kind of precursor of what is to come. Not only does He satisfy our bodily hunger, but He also provides the nourishment that fulfills all of our hungers and thirsts. Whether we leave or stay with Him depends on our response to the call of faith.
The Lord wants us to 'look up' and to 'catch sight' of the people and situations he is calling us to help. There is a spiritual hunger that only God can truly satisfy, far more acute than the hunger for ordinary bread. He invites us to sit down with Him, to find some peace and rest, to refresh our minds and hearts with the example of His patience and courage in suffering, and then to feed on Him. Reinforced with this remarkable food, which fills us again and again with His life and spirit, we can get up and find within ourselves the strength to persevere on our journey... and then go out to help others on their unique journey of faith.
Jesus makes a claim only God can make: He is the true bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience. The feeding of the five thousand shows the remarkable generosity of God and his great kindness towards us. When God gives, he gives abundantly. He gives more than we need for ourselves that we may have something to share with others, especially those who lack what they need. God takes the little we have and multiplies it for the good of others.
A few phrases come to mind from the Tao te Ching, the 5th century BC work by Lao-Tzu: "Seeing into darkness is clarity. Knowing how to yield is strength. Using the inner light, we can return to the source of light. This is called practicing eternity."
What has this to do with today's reading? Well, maybe everything. The past, present, and future become one within the Eucharist. In this Bread of Life, the Eternal God, mortal man, and the history of our salvation through Him, come together - here and now. Every time and every place become here and now.
Christ has called us to follow him. And in the continuing miracle that we celebrate in the Eucharist, he is teaching us how to practice eternity, giving us the nourishment we need to yield inwardly for the sake of God and neighbor, and just for a moment, giving us the vision and experience in the present of what our eternity can be.
