OT XVIII [A] Is 55:1-3; Rom 8:35, 37-39; Mt 14:13-21

 

When Jesus heard about the assassination of John the Baptist, He withdrew to a lonely place. He must have been emotionally disturbed and wanted to be alone.

The death of St John the Baptist moves Jesus deeply for three reasons.

First, they had been cousins - there was the bond of family between them.

Second, they had both received a special mission in the history of salvation - so there was the deep common bond of dedication to God's Kingdom. And John baptized Jesus.

And thirdly, John's death marked the beginning of a new stage in Christ's mission - the Messenger's job was done, the King's job was starting.

And so, with a sorrowful heart and a lot on his mind, Jesus goes away to be alone, to have time to reflect and pray at this crucial, painful moment.

But when Jesus arrived, did he find the solitude he was looking for? Far from it. A crowd of 5,000 waited for him, people who were there not to comfort him in his anguish, nor to mourn with him, but rather, to ask him to attend to their personal needs, to cure them, and to hear him speak. What did Jesus do? “His heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.”

He puts his own loneliness and preoccupations aside, sits down, and gives audience to the throngs - comforting, healing, teaching, and listening...

And when it seems he can do no more, when his disciples are totally worn out, he miraculously multiplies the loaves and fish.

 

The disciples tell Jesus to send them away, but Jesus challenges them, “YOU give them something to eat.”

Four years ago, young Matthew LeSage, a third-grader, wanted to do something to help the hungry in his city. So, he started a program, Hams for the Hungry. This year, in its fourth year, Hams for the Hungry will raise $40,000 to brighten the holiday season for people with limited resources. Another young man, 13 years old read about Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s missionary work in Africa. He wanted to help. He had enough money to buy one bottle of aspirin. He wrote to the Air Force and asked if they could fly over Dr. Schweitzer’s hospital and drop the bottle down to him. A radio station broadcast the story about this young fellow’s concern for helping others. Others responded as well. Eventually, he was flown by the government to Schweitzer’s hospital along with 4 1/2 tons of medical supplies worth $400,000 freely given by thousands of people. This, of course, would be the equivalent of millions of dollars today. When Dr. Schweitzer heard the story, he said, “I never thought one child could do so much.”

As Christians we have to commit ourselves to share and to work with God in communicating His compassion to all. God is a caring Father, but He wants our co-operation. That’s what the early Christians did, generously sharing what they had with the needy. They were convinced that everything they needed to experience a fulfilling life was already there, in the gifts and talents of the people around them.

 

Jesus makes us aware that our resources are woefully inadequate to meet the need, but we are to bring what resources we have to Jesus. We place them in his hands to do what he wishes with them, and in the process, release control to him. He in turn blesses them and places them back in our hands, multiplied, more powerful than we could have imagined.

At the end of the miracle there is that strange little touch that the fragments were gathered up. Even when a miracle could feed men sumptuously there was no waste.

Modern man is guilty of wastage of food, while one third of the world goes hungry. According to statistics we throw away 8.3 million tons of food and drink a year. We can see there is food wastage everyday at messes, hotels, restaurants, and even in homes. God gives to men with munificence, but a wasteful extravagance is never right. God’s generous giving and our wise using must go hand in hand. “Live simply, so that others may simply live.” (Mother Teresa).

 

Jesus gave the blessed bread in the hands of the Apostles and they were not to keep them for themselves but pass them on to the hungry people. God gives us things in our hands and they are not meant merely for us, to be kept in our closet. Let’s realize our responsibility to be mediators between God and the needy people around us. Let’s ask the Lord for the grace to be generous and He is generous with us.