The multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle we find in all four gospels. Matthew tells us that, longing for the presence, healing and wisdom of Jesus, the crowds followed him for some distance to a deserted place, where they focused their attention on him, forgetting about their practical and physical needs. Having compassion for them, Jesus healed their sick and most incredibly, with five loaves and two fish, he fed them. They might have gotten their fill had they eaten elsewhere but here they experienced that which makes a meal truly satisfying, the experience of love.
This miracle becomes our miracle story every time we gather to celebrate the Mass. In the Eucharist, God fulfills the promise given in Isaiah of feeding us. “Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.” For those who believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, this indeed can be a satisfying meal despite how few calories one takes in.
But some protest, “This piece of bread, this sip of wine does nothing to me!” If the miracle of the Eucharist has little meaning for you then perhaps you are too focused on something that can’t love you in return. Some of us are so busy with our pursuit of worldly goals and goods that we cannot or do not notice the one being who always has and always will love us unconditionally, namely Jesus Christ. Indulging in the pursuit of happiness is a natural human need, but keep in mind that anything earthly brings only fleeting moments of pleasure.
If the Eucharist leaves you feeling unsatisfied, then I would venture to say something is missing from your life; your awareness that God loves you. But how could that be? Paul begins his letter with a profound question, “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” He tells us that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ. Certainly not anguish, distress, persecution, famine, or nakedness for Paul remains convinced that nothing, not even angels or the future or any one else, not even death will be able to separate us from the love of God.
What a tremendous promise! There is no prison in the world strong enough to keep out God’s love. There is no tragedy in life so great that God’s love can not bring something good of it. There is no trial so shattering that God’s love cannot use it to make us into better persons. That isn’t to say, however, that we couldn’t find ourselves separated from the love of God though our own choice as one woman did.
Deborah sat alone in her apartment on 64th Street. Her apartment building in desperate need of repair from years of neglect was located in an old section of town. She sat motionless, gazing at her Christmas tree, or what was supposed to be her tree. She had found it two years ago abandoned in an alley. The tree was artificial, faded and broken in many places. The ornaments consisted of a few strands of tinsel, a string of colored lights, and a little plastic angel. Deborah got up, made herself a cup of tea and sat down to play a game of solitaire.
Solitaire was her hobby. She would play for hours, some times forgetting to eat. The cards were bent and faded from many years of use. After a couple of hours of playing, she stood up, yawned, and took another look at her tree. She studied it closely. Funny, she thought, as she eyed the angel. It seems to be smiling. The way the light reflected made it glow, filling the room with human warmth.
The angel’s arms were outstretched as if they wanted to hug Deborah. She sat back down and listened to the outside noises. She then heard faint footsteps, gradually getting louder. She then heard Christmas carols being sung. She saw a handful of change on the table and thought about giving it to the kids. She got up to get the change, then stopped herself, thinking, “If I don’t make any noise, they’ll go away…” She never finished her thought. A loud crash echoed through the room. Somehow, the angel had fallen off the tree and was now shattered. The angel’s look was now different. The angel was frowning now.
God would be frowning if we weren’t feeling his love. And if we don’t feel God’s love, we have only ourselves to blame. The choice is ours to walk with our God or ignore his love and open arms.
Today’s gospel was especially cherished by the early Church who saw Jesus feeding of the multitudes as the forerunner to the sacrament of the Eucharist. We, too, can perform wonders in our own time and place by imitating those four decisive “Eucharistic” verbs of Jesus: take, bless, break, and give. Namely, taking from what we have, blessing it by offering it to others in God’s spirit of love, breaking it from our own needs and interests for the sake of others, and giving it with joy-filled gratitude to the God who has blessed us with so much.
Christ calls on us to become Eucharistic people, to become the Eucharist we have received for others in our generosity, compassion, and our work for justice and reconciliation. Simply put, the miracle of the Eucharist comes alive for us when we make real the love of God in our simplest acts of kindness, generosity and understanding toward others.