Cycle A - Year II:  

2 August 2020: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 55:1-3

Second Reading:   Romans 8:35, 37-39

Gospel:  Please Read  Matthew 14:13-21

"God answers all our needs!"

If you are active in social media these days, you must have noticed the trending business of on-line selling of home-made food products during this pandemic.  Because of the prolonged community quarantine many small and medium-size business had closed shop and many people lost their jobs.  They need to find alternative ways to survive and food business comes in handy.  Because we all need food to nourish our physical body, with or without this pandemic.

Now the theme for this Sunday's liturgical readings focuses on nourishment.  Our Lord Jesus Christ shows His concern for our temporal needs by feeding the multitude that followed Him.  Because man is both body and soul while in journey in our world.

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

On the Gospel narrative, large crowd continued to follow Jesus, and as evening approached the disciples wanted Jesus to send them away.  They were in a deserted place and there was no food provision for such a large but hungry crowd of people.  All that the disciples could find was a little boy with five loaves of bread and two fish.

Now 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 there were twelve baskets full of loaves and fish that were left over.

What is the significance of this miracle?

Well, it shows us the remarkable and overflowing generosity of God and His great kindness to us.  The miracle of the multiplication of loaves emanated from the mercy and love of Jesus for the crowd following Him.  It shows our Lord caring for the whole man, body and soul, that He takes care of our physical needs as well, including our hunger for food.

Because when God gives He gives abundantly.  He gives more than we need for ourselves so that we may have something to share with others, especially those who lack what they need.  In other words, God takes the little that we already have and multiples them for the good of others especially those in need.  And this is a Christian attitude we must show during this pandemic when others lost their jobs and have no food to sustain them.  Do we practice our Christian faith during this pandemic? So we ask ourselves:  do we trust in God's provision for our own need, and do we share freely with others, especially the poor in our midst?

For God never fails to nourish our material needs when we do our part and trust Him.  But our Lord Jesus also invites us to work for "food that endures for eternal life" (Jn 6:27).  Now Jesus is referring to His "flesh which is real food" in the Holy Eucharist.  For our Lord Jesus says: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." (Jn 6:35) Do we believe this?

In the Holy Eucharist, let us ask the Lord Jesus beyond our daily necessities and open our hearts to better and lasting blessing that God wants to share with us, our Bread of Life in Jesus. So that in the midst of life's many challenges and trials, especially during the corona pandemic, we persevere in our faith, even as we acknowledge our total dependence on the Creator for our life and sustenance.  Let us also pray that public worship will be more relaxed so that we can again receive our Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist at Mass.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!