Gospel
Jn 6:1-15
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.”
One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”
...Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
We never have enough time. We never have enough patience. We never have enough money. We never have enough of anything.
Today Jesus asks the disciples a natural, material question: “Where can we buy enough food for the people to eat?”
Saint Philip answers him in a very natural, material way: “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.”
Saint Andrew asks Jesus a question in a natural, material way. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”
Jesus answers him in a natural, material way: “Have the people recline.” Reclining meant freedom, freedom to eat, freedom to live.
But Jesus responds to the entire situation by performing a supernatural deed; he took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them.
Notice the order in which he performs this supernatural miracle. He took the bread. He Gave Thanks. Then he distributed the loaves and fish to the crowd.
The crucial part is that he gives God thanks and praise. He does not begin by asking! He begins by giving thanks and praise to God in the current situation. His disciples came to him and asked about feeding the crowd, out of a genuine concern for the people who had been following him for several day, so Jesus, as our intercessor and Lord, grants the disciples request –but first and foremost he gives thanks and praise. Our lesson for today is to always give thanks and praise to God, in all situations.
Then Jesus withdrew to pray alone and the disciples gathered 12 hampers of leftovers. What did they do with the leftovers? They fed each other, they cared for one another. So should we. So should we.
Even when we think we do not have enough time, enough patience, or enough of anything, let us approach the throne of God’s grace where he is the eternal source of life and love and grace! He will supply our every need!
