Cycle B - Year II:  

29 July 2018: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time  

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        2 Kings:4:42-44

Second Reading:   Ephesians 4:1-6

Gospel:Please Read  John 6:1-15

God is generous, through our own generosity!

We pray in the "Our Father" for our daily bread. What exactly do we mean when we pray that?  Obviously, we ask for things that we need for our day-to-day living. Are we asking only for food that satisfies our physical hunger; do we ask only for things material?

Perhaps, for those less in life putting food on the table is their daily struggle. Because satisfying our physical hunger for food is a step to liberation from poverty.

The theme of this Sunday's liturgy is on nourishment. Jesus shows His concern for our temporal needs as well by feeding the multitude that followed Him. For man is both body and soul while in journey in this world.

(As a side note, biblical scholars say that Jesus' feeding of the five thousands is the only miracle recorded in all the four Gospel accounts, i.e. John 6:1-15, Mark 6:34-44, Matthew 14:13-21, and Luke 9:10-17.)

In the Gospel narratives, a great multitude had gathered to hear Jesus because they were hungry for the word of life. At the end of the day, the disciples wanted to send them away because they did not have the resources to feed them.

One of Jesus' disciples, Andrew is the name, told Him that all they have is a boy who brought with him five loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?

But our Lord Jesus took the little they had --five loaves and two fish-- and giving thanks to His heavenly Father, distributed to all until the whole crowd were satisfied of their hunger. And when they had had their fill, there were still twelve wicker baskets full of loaves and fish left over.

What do we learn from this miracle of the loaves and fish?

Well, the feeding of the five thousands shows us the remarkable and overflowing generosity of God and His great kindness to us. The miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish emanated from the mercy and love of our Lord Jesus Christ for the crowd that followed Him. Clearly, our Lord cares for the whole man, meaning body and soul, that He takes care of our physical needs as well, in this case, our hunger for food. Thus, it also tells us a lot about Christian charity, we must share our prayers as well as our material blessings.

The Gospel narratives also remind us that when God gives He gives abundantly. In other words, the Lord gives more than we need for ourselves so that we may have something to share with others, especially those who lack what they need to survive. Thus, Jesus teaches us that material hunger can be answered by an attitude of sharing that invites divine intervention. Because God takes the little that we have and multiplies it for the good of others. Indeed, the miracle today is telling us that the Lord is always generous, through our own generosity to those in need.

This connects us to the Church's celebration of Fil-Mission Sunday today. Let us remember in our prayers our Filipino missionaries all over the world, and share and support them with our material blessings.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!