Recently, it struck me how much Jesus loves to feed people.
Immediately after he raises Jairus’ daughter from the dead, he states that “she
should be given something to eat” (Jn 5: 43). At Cana, Jesus provides 120-180
gallons of wine for the wedding celebration. After the Resurrection, Jesus
meets several of the Apostles along the shore of the Sea of Galilea, prepares a
fire, cooks a meal and yells to them, “Come have breakfast!” (Jn 21: 12). In
today’s Gospel, Jesus multiplies the loaves and the fishes in order to feed the
large crowd of people that have been gathering to listen to him, watch him
perform amazing signs, and learn about this new Gospel way of life.
Although Jesus was a carpenter by trade, he had a real heart for
hospitality. He really loved to feed people. It shows that he cares for the
whole person. He wanted to be with them, build up fellowship with himself and
other believers, feed them for the journey and reinforce in an informal setting
the things He shared while teaching in more formal situations.
This beautiful grace of hospitality reaches a pinnacle in the
Eucharist. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus mentions with uncharacteristic frankness how
much he has longed to share the Last Supper with his Apostles. At this meal,
Jesus prepares a table like no other. With an infinite and bottomless desire,
Jesus longs for the unity with his disciples that can only come about by being
truly present to us; He desires to nourish us not with mere bread and wine, but
with his very self; he crafts a way to make it possible for his followers to be
mysteriously present to him in the midst of his passion, death and resurrection
— the moment he performed the greatest act of love the world has ever known.
Yes, Jesus loves to feed us.
Noting something else from our Gospel passage today, allow me to
call attention to the child in today’s Gospel. Andrew, the Apostle, discovers a
boy who possesses five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus accepts the limited resources that the
boy has, blesses them and provides for a large crowd.
This action of our Savior serves as a model for the church and
her mission of building God’s kingdom on this earth. As a church, we need to focus
on young people. We are invited by Christ to spend more time with young people,
build healthy, selfless relationships with them, discover their developed and
hidden gifts, and form them to be active participants in the life and mission
of the church. The church needs more than ever to help young people become
missionary disciples of Jesus Christ.
Finally, please note that, after this miraculous event, Jesus
“withdrew again to the mountain alone.” Many of us are heading off for vacation
in the next few weeks or at least enjoying what is commonly a slower few weeks
in the hot days of summer. “Recreation” or being recreated does not truly
happen without getting some additional quiet time with the Lord. Why is it that
so often we come home from vacation and feel more wiped out than when we left?
It is because we did not take time to be renewed, refreshed, fed and nourished
by Jesus. Carve out time in your schedule in the next few weeks to get extra
time alone with Christ in prayer with the Scriptures, in quiet before the Blessed
Sacrament and at table in the Mass.
Jesus, the Bread of Life, longs to feed you as his beloved
disciple.
Fr. Peterson is director of mission and development for the Youth Apostles.