Each of the
four Gospels contain several different stories of Jesus eating with people. He
ate with Pharisees and Scribes, tax collectors, prostitutes, and public
sinners, he of course he dined with his beloved friends and disciples. In
today’s Gospel he breaks bread with thousands of people. In so many of these
meals recorded in the Gospels, the Lord takes the opportunity not just to eat,
but to teach, by word and example, offering, in fact, some of his most
important teachings.
For
example,. He dined with hypocritical and antagonistic Scribes and Pharisees,
why? Of course, to urge them to repent and believe, but also to give us an
example. We need to associate even with people who hate us in hope of their
conversion—that God willing through conversation and meal, they can get a
glimpse of the goodness and truth to which they have become blinded and maybe
come to believe.
The Lord ate
with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners, why? To show them that God invites
all people out of love to exchange the stained garments of sin for the wedding
garment of the righteous. And also, again to give us an example. We too are to
dine with such people. We are to dine with the unrighteous because that’s what
the Lamb of God did in order to invite them to His heavenly banquet.
The Lord ate
with his disciples, why? To strengthen them, to teach them, to share intimate
moments with them. He dined with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and set
their hearts on fire with faith. He dined with the apostles on the seashore even
after they fled the cross and went back to fishing instead of venturing to the
ends of the world to spread the Gospel. At the Last Supper he gave us his flesh
and blood to be shed on the cross so that we may become what we receive in the
Sacrament of the Eucharist. We are to dine with each other, week after week, at
the Lord’s table that our hearts might catch fire, to heal the wounds of sin
and division and to be strengthened in love for one another and in holiness for
the mission of the Gospel. We are formed as missionary disciples, as Pope
Francis rightly said, in the context of what we are doing here, eating and
drinking as the Lord commanded us to do.
In the
Gospel today, the Lord shares a meal with thousands of people, why? Well, let’s
dig in.
Firstly, we
see the Lord’s care for the real physical needs of his people. After a day of
teaching and healing thousands—he doesn’t want to send them away hungry.
Growing up Italian, I get this…no one should leave your home hungry. If you
have the chance, feed people. Who doesn’t love being fed. You know someone
cares for you, when they feed you. The way to a man’s heart is his stomach, in
a very real sense.
So, we are
to feed people. Feed the hungry, it’s an act of charity in imitation of the
Lord himself. Notice, too, that none of these thousands of people are named, in
the Gospel story today. They are the nameless hungry of the world. We are to feed
them, without judgement. They are hungry, so feed them.
Next, is a
great detail, and a challenging one. When the disciples bring this concern for
the people to the Lord, the Lord responds, “give them some food yourselves.”
“You give
them something to eat, you do something to solve this problem.” The Lord speaks
those words to you and me. As members of
the Church, God gives us the tremendous responsibility of being his hands and
his feet out in the world, feeding the large crowd of the world with physical
bread and also leading them to the meal of the spiritual bread of the
Eucharist.
Some of you
might remember, that In the 1950s and 60s, a movement called Catholic Action
which aimed at rallying the Catholic lay faithful for the work of the Gospel
out in the world. And Catholic Action had a motto, very simple, three words.
“see, judge, act.” See, judge, act. First see, open your eyes to what is going on
in the Church and in society and in your neighborhood. Second, judge: make a determination of what
can I do, how can I help, how can I serve.
And thirdly, act—if you can do it, do it.
“You give
them something to eat.” This is a very challenging teaching because we have a
tendency to want to pass the buck on to someone else. We see a problem and say “someone ought to do
something, someone ought to take care of this.”
But today’s Gospel challenges our tendency to remain uninvolved or
paralyzed by fear. “You give them something to eat”.
We have a
personal responsibility to do what we can in all the different dimensions of
the life of the Church: standing up for
life, standing up for religious freedom or the rights of the oppressed, feeding
the poor, teaching the ignorant, spreading the Gospel, it’s not merely the
pope’s job, or the bishop’s job, or the pastor’s job; every Catholic bears the
responsibility for the work of the Church and spreading the Gospel. “You give
them something to eat.”
So, on one
hand, we have a personal responsibility for the work of God, but, thankfully,
on the other hand, we are in it together, we are to work together. The Lord’s
command is addressed in the plural—“you all together give them something to
eat”, but that just means doing everything I can to work together with my
brothers and sisters in Christ for the mission of the Gospel. We bear personal
responsibility to work together.
Then at the
heart of the story is the miracle. When told to feed the thousands, the
disciples do what they can, they gather food, but they find, that it is not
enough. “All we have are these five loaves, a couple fish.” So the Lord
responds, “Give them to me!”
The
spiritual lesson? You and I are to give
what we have, even if it is very little, to Christ and it will be
multiplied. Give Christ your mind, your
will, your energy, your compassion, your earthly treasures. See, judge act. Give it to Christ, and you
will find that it becomes multiplied for his purposes.
Catholic
parishes, like ours, are just like that small group of disciples, looking at
its meager possessions, saying, what can we do with these fives loaves and two
fish. But coming together, despite our limitations, we offer what we have to
the Lord, and the Lord multiplies.
I’ve been so
impressed over this last year as pastor to witness the great generosity of so
many of you—giving your time, talent, and treasure for the mission of the
parish, and I’m very excited for the years ahead, to witness how the Lord
continues to multiply the gifts that are brought forth to him.
But I do
encourage you, please consider how you can contribute to the mission of the
parish—whether in volunteering in our parish events, participating in
ministries, or discerning new ones. I love when parishioners come to me with
ideas of ways they’d like to get involved. I love helping you discern how you
can put your gifts and talents—your loaves and fish--in service to God.
So, I repeat
the invitation I made when I began my pastorate, if there’s any ministry that
you’d like to get involved in, or a ministry that you’d like to start up, please
let me know. That’s why we are here, To see, judge, act, and to put our loaves
and fishes into the hands of God.
In your
daily prayer especially, ask the Lord, what can I do to help, what are the
needs that I am called to act upon, what are the loaves and fishes of my life,
that you want me to hand over to you, how are you calling me to work together
with my fellow parishioners, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for the work
God has for us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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