Sunday Reflections

The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the most popular and well known of the miracle stories. Perhaps this is because it deals with food, a topic our over-fed society seems obsessed with. It is the only miracle that is recounted in each of the four gospels, and it hits us, literally, right in the gut.

Although all four gospel writers tell this story, I like today’s reading, from John, chapter 6, the best, because it contains my favourite character, a little boy who was willing to share his food.

This miracle is also impressive. Multiplying five loaves and two dried fish into enough food to feed five thousand men (that’s not counting the women and children) is astounding! A person living two thousand years ago in Palestine would spend most of their day working just to feed themselves. No fast food for them.

Not only were the crowds fed, they were satisfied. This was likely an unusual experience for many of the people, who were ordinary poor labourers. Hunger was probably more familiar to them than to most of us. Nor was there a limit to the generosity of this miracle: twelve baskets of bread were left over. They would never be hungry again. No wonder they wanted to make Jesus their King!

So what does this Gospel say to us today? That we should share what we have with those who have less is one obvious lesson. The small boy who first stepped forward with his loaves and fishes sets an example for us. Let us ask ourselves: what do I hoard? Am I willing to share all that I have? How can I be a sign of God’s loving generosity today?

The imagery of feeding and being satisfied runs through three of today’s four readings. Like the crowds that followed Jesus and his Apostles, we too are hungry for God’s endless love and healing. Let us take a moment today to reflect on how we feed our soul. What activities occupy our days? Just as junk food does not leave us filled, many of our daily distractions do nothing to satisfy our inner hunger. Do we take time to let God feed us by reflecting on the scripture readings? Do we spend time in prayer?

Let us pray today to become more like the small boy and say, “Here I am Lord. This is what I have to offer. Show me how you want me to share my gifts. I trust that you will provide everything that I need.” God’s love is as boundless as the loaves and the fishes. All we have to do is ask.