Repeating the Miracle of Multiplication

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 26, 2009 (Jn 6:1-15)

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred days wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

In the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus showed concern for the people by giving them what they hungered for - the Word of God. In today's Gospel, Jesus provides them with food for the body. This shows us the basic truth that God did not only create us; He sustains us. This is expressed in the common saying, "God provides." Indeed, He provides for all our needs, be it physical or spiritual

Great hunger and deprivation of the basic needs in life cause many to doubt that God provides. But the truth is, God has provided and is still providing for us. Jesus tells us that the ravens do not sow, reap and store food, but they are fed by the Father. He said that we are worth more than birds, implying that the Father would also provide for us (cf. Lk 12:24). Everything we need is being given us. The problem is that some people possess God's graces, fewer people possess them in abundance, while a lot more are deprived of them. Society does not require those who have to give to those who do not have. This is why many of those who have opt not to share.

Sometimes, when we wish to share to those in need, we are discouraged by the fact that sharing the little that we have cannot fill all who are hungry. We think our help does only a little good. But we should realize that sharing is still sharing and a little help is still help.

Many scholars say that in the Gospel narrative, there was really no miracle of multiplication of bread; there was only a miracle of inspiration. When the young boy offered the little that he had, the others were inspired to also share what they had. Thus, everyone was filled and there were still some left over. This supports the fact that, indeed, everything we need has been with us and has been provided for us all along, and that all it takes to end hunger is sharing.

When we share, we become bread for others, just as Jesus became bread for us. We become the distributors of what God has provided. We become instruments of giving to others what is rightfully theirs. Yes, what we share from our abundance is not ours; it belongs to those who need them.

Sharing will also inspire others to do the same. When we share, we inspire the people around us to be bread for others too. In doing so, we become the little boy who inspired five thousand people in today's narrative. Therefore, when we share, we repeat the miracle of the multiplication of bread. Ultimately, sharing will put an end to world hunger.

A Look of Mercy, A Glance That Cares

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 19, 2009 (Mk 6:30-34)

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

In the Gospel today, we see Jesus give value to rest. He wanted His Apostles to rest as they have just returned from their missionary journeys. As disciples of Christ who bring His Word to others, we also need to rest. We need to pray and reflect. We need to have time alone with God to check our relationship with Him.

Jesus, in the Gospel, seeing the people who were like sheep without a shepherd (Mk 6:34), sacrificed His private time and the time of His Apostles in order to teach the great crowd. He knew how much the people were thirsting for God's Word. He had pity on them and He quenched their thirst for the nourishing Word.

As followers of Christ, we also ought to have great concern for our neighbor, especially for those who are in need, physically or spiritually. In these days, we usually look at people, especially those in need, as if they were just "other people". We don't see them as people we need to help, as people who, like us, are in need of God and of His life-giving Word.

This is the problem of our generation - indifference. As long as someone has no direct effect in our lives, as long as we don't need that someone for anything at all, we don't care about him. Jesus, on the other hand, looks upon people with a look of mercy, a glance that cares.

As Christians, we need to cast upon others this look of mercy, this glance that cares. We need to imitate Christ who cares for others, who does not consider the crowd as a great bother, but nourishes them and gives them what they need. We should also imitate the early Christians who sold their possessions in order to help those who are in want (Acts 4:32-35).

This is the mark of true Christians - love and concern for others. This is how we are to show Christ to others - by our love.

Bringing Christ

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 12, 2009 (Mk 6:7-13)

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick - no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.

He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.

So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them."

As Christians, we have the responsibility to proclaim the Good News to others. This mission is not only for the priests or for the religious. We, too, are being sent by God to go and proclaim His Word to others. Truly, we who have received God's Word cannot just keep it ourselves. Such a news ought to be proclaimed to all, so that all may benefit.

This mission is not something we will do alone. This is the mission of the Church. Indeed, in Jewish tradition, the account of two people are given much value. You could very well be ignored if you say something with no one supporting you.

There is more than one way of proclaiming God's Word to others. We are not all called to be ordained ministers, but we are called to practice the prophetic mission we have received in our Baptism. We are not all preachers, but we can be prophets who give witness to Jesus' Words through our everyday living.

Yes, in this mission, we bring nothing, just the bare necessities. But what we bring to the world is something of much importance. We bring the news that the Kingdom of God has come and that all are welcome in the Kingdom. We bring Christ Himself.

In our mission, we are able to work out miracles. We are able to drive out demons when we instruct sinners not to sin anymore. We can cure diseases when we alleviate the pain of others. We bring them Christ whom they have not seen before.

Welcoming Our Divine Visitor

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 5, 2009


(Mk 6:1-6)

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house."

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

God became man because He loved mankind and He desired to save them. This is the very story of Christianity. God is too awesome for man to behold. Israel in the Old Testament once said, "If I hear the voice of the Lord my God anymore, or ever again see this great fire, I will die" (Deut 18:16). God, therefore, wanting to save His people, humbled Himself by becoming ordinary, by becoming man. In Jesus, we have a God we can see and hear, a God we can talk to face to face, a God who walks among us, indeed, a God who has visited His people (Lk 7:16).

The problem is that we still look at God as someone high on the pedestal, as someone over the clouds, as "the guy up there". This is probably why Jesus' own people did not accept Him. They were looking for a great God, an awesome God. For them, Jesus was only a carpenter, an ordinary member of their community. They, therefore, rejected their Divine Visitor.

Indeed, it is difficult to understand the humility of God. But we know that God's motive is always for us to be saved.

Sometimes, we become like Jesus' own people. We fail to see God in the ordinary and in the lowly. We don't see God in our neighbor anymore. We don't see Him in the poor, in the sick and in the marginalized. Even in ourselves, we don't see God. We think that God is only in the church.

Jesus said, "I am with you always... (Mt 28:20)". He addressed this to every one of His disciples, even to us. Therefore, we need to recognize that God is in us, that God is in our neighbor, as He also said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Mt 25:40).

Also, like Jesus' own people, we judge others as if we know them enough. We dictate who our neighbors are supposed to be through stereotypes. We therefore render our neighbors unable to improve, unable to be greater than who they are now. We need to admit that we don't know enough to judge our neighbors.

God, in His great love, has come down for us. Let us not look for Him in the skies, for we cannot fly there through our own efforts. Let us just accept Jesus and welcome Him in our hearts. Let us be hospitable to the God who visits us in many ways. Let us recognize His presence in the people around us, in everything we do, even in the ordinary events of our lives.