An elderly woman lived in one half of a duplex apartment. She was extremely poor in this world’s stuff but rich in the things of the spirit. She prayed a great deal and would do anything for someone else in need. In the other half of the duplex lived the owner, a man of no faith, no prayer, no religion. He often made fun of the old lady’s trust in God.
One day this woman was praying, quite loudly, telling the Lord that she had no food in the house. The godless one heard her and decided: “I am going to play a trick on that old gal.”He took a loaf of bread, laid it at her door, rang the doorbell, and then hurried back to his apartment to hear through the thin walls her cry of delight: “Thank you, Lord, I just knew you would not fail me,”
With a devilish grin the man came back to her front door and told her; “You silly woman. You think God answered your prayer? Well, I am the one who brought that loaf of bread.” Undaunted, the old lady exclaimed: “Praise the Lord! He always helps me in my needs, even if he has to use the devil to answer my prayers.”
God has power over everything. So, do you think he could feed the 5,000 with very little and then have some left over? Those who ate and were satisfied were about 5,000 men not counting the women and children. The number fed was most likely 15-20,000 people. It is not so important how many He fed but why he fed them.
In today’s gospel Jesus has just heard of the death of John the Baptist. Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee to a place where he could be alone. John’s death was surely a blow for Jesus; his need for solitude showed his grief and most likely Jesus was also pondering his own fate that awaited him.
What does Jesus do when he sees the vast crowd? He shifts his attention from His needs to the needs of the crowd. Jesus gets out of the boat and with concern and compassion starts heeling the sick among them. That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said; “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus says that they do not have to leave, and tells the disciples to give them something to eat. The disciples tell Jesus they only have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
What does Jesus do? He asks the disciples to bring the food to him, and he told the crowds to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the 5 loaves and the 2 fish, he looked up toward heaven and blessed the food, broke the bread and handed it to the disciples to give to the people. Poverty and brokenness are transformed into plenty. You see, that’s the real difference. It is not just enough for us to ask of God, but to allow Him to multiply our wants for the needs of others.
Father Robert Baron, a priest from the Archdiocese of Chicago, rector and president of Mundelein Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake, author, scholar, and Catholic Evangelist, who is often seen on EWTN, The Eternal Word Television Network, said in his homily on this very gospel; “The core message is that, with God’s grace, Christ is able to feed the multitudes through us in a way that goes far beyond what we can comprehend. When we are able to offer the simple gift of our lives, our five loaves and fishes, Christ can take that gift and touch the lives of many through the super abundance of grace worked in our lives. Our gift ceases to be natural and becomes supernatural.”
I have listened to people when they have told me “What can I do with the little that I have? You know, it is great to give what we can but it becomes intimate when we give ourselves. Isn’t this what Jesus did? Isn’t this what He gives us, His body and blood in the Eucharist? Isn’t this what satisfies our every need?
This is what our reading from Isaiah was trying to tell the Israelites exiled in Babylon. It is an invitation to the Masters banquet through the basic necessities of water, food, wine and milk where the Spirit will be satisfied. God tells the Israelites that if they heed him, they shall eat well. Listen to him and they will have life. God is saying he will watch over us, and love us forever. Of course He will correct us when necessary. If you are like me, I know when that is and he uses many means to let me know.
God does not expect us to feed thousands by ourselves but he does expect us to do what we can with what he has blessed us with be it material stuff or even the sacrificial giving of ourselves. We might feel that what God has given us is not enough but I remind you of 5 loaves of bread and two fish!!!
If you are still feeling like what you have to give is not much maybe this short story will help you feel differently.
Tidal waves washed thousands of starfish ashore and they were dying on the sandy beach in the hot sun. People walking on the beach crushed the starfish under their feet. An Indian boy walked with more care, once in a while bending down, picking up a starfish and throwing it back into the sea.
One man who saw what the boy was doing challenged him. “Young man” he said; “What do you think you are doing. With thousands of starfish on the shore, what difference does it make throwing one or two back into the sea?” The Indian boy slowly bent down, picked up a starfish and threw it back into the sea. “For that one”, he replied. “It sure makes a lot of difference.”
We heard in the second reading from Romans St. Paul reminding The Christians in Rome that nothing will stand in their way from the love of God in Christ Jesus the Lord. What a way of showing our love for God than to sacrifice what we have, to sacrifice our very lives in living the way Jesus has shown us. Just imagine what God can accomplish through us? Two Loaves and 2 fish!!!!!!!
In our lives as individuals, as communities, as a world we suffer all kinds of hunger- for food, for love, for peace. God is able and more than willing to satisfy all our hungers, to satisfy all our needs, to multiply the blessings he has given us no matter how small we think they are. God is waiting for us who believe enough in him, to give up our lunch sack, our fives loaves of bread and 2 fish to satisfy the hunger of others, whether it be physical needs or just an ear to hear what they have to say or a kind word to ease their pain.
People have asked me how can they make a gift of themselves; an offering to God?Look around at the stained glass windows, what do we see? The seven Sacraments but also the seven Corporal Works of Mercy. (Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless,  4 visit the sick, to bury the dead.) This is the blueprint in living out the action in our lives and this is what Jesus did while he was on earth. This is the example he has left for us. These are some ways that we can give of ourselves to God; by taking care of others needs as well as our own. When we do this, our needs seem to diminish. Whatever we do, whatever we give in faith, God will always be there to multiply them. God is loving and compassionate and will always hear those who call to him for help. See how he took care of that elderly woman who lived in that duplex and her need for food!!Â
We as Christians bring our lives to God in a spirit of obedience and sacrifice, no matter how insignificant we may think our gifts or talents are. When doing so God blesses us far beyond what can be imagined. Also, we should trust that God not only wants to meet the needs of His children, but He wants to lavish us with spiritual blessings and graces even to overflowing. Let Jesus live in our hearts and may his life on earth be our life here and now!! “The hand of the Lord feeds us, He answers all our needs!