Sunday Readings: Isaiah 55.1-3; Romans 8.35, 37-39; Matthew 14.13-21
Jesus’ disciples said to him, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” Jesus said, “Bring them here to me.” Jesus ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples. The disciples gave them to the crowds. All ate and were filled. They took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children (Matthew 14.17-21).
Jesus makes a messianic feast of five loaves and two fish; he makes a lot of the very little food the crowd has. The story tells us they have more than enough—12 baskets full of leftovers.
The scene hints of the good shepherd. Jesus orders the people to sit on the grass as he provides for them. Jesus’ blessing of the loaves shifts what is happening into an eucharistic scene. “He looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples.”
Blessed, broke, and gave— these are the verbs that describe Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper, “Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it, broke it, gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’” These are the verbs the celebrant repeats at every Eucharist.
Clearly Matthew wants us to recognize the bread so abundant in this miracle is the bread of the eucharist, the bread that Jesus makes a sign of his body, a sign of his total self-giving to the people of all time.
We eat this bread to nourish our own commitment to live as Jesus lived—to give and provide for others ourselves, out of our love and gifts. What makes
- In what ways do you provide hungry people something to eat?
- What helps make your parish a community rather than a crowd?