Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A huge crowd is listening to Jesus preach, and they of course become hungry after a long day in the deserted place. The Lord asks the disciples what they have, it isn’t much, but through the power and love of God, everyone is fed. We can relate to this reading today by giving up the little we have to God and allowing Him to help us.
Upon hearing the news of the death of John the Baptist, Jesus seeks to withdraw, but the crowds follow him. Jesus reaches out to them in compassion and heals the sick. At the end of a long day, the disciples encourage Jesus to send the crowds away so that they might find provisions for themselves. Jesus again responds with compassion for the crowd. Jesus tells his disciples to provide food for the crowd. The disciples reply with a report of the meagerness of their own provisions—five loaves and two fish. The result is the very familiar miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that 5,000 men were fed, and this number does not even include the women and children.
LoyolaPress.com Sunday Connection
Jesus’ blessing brought abundance from the meager provisions of the disciples. In this action, Jesus offers us a sign of the Kingdom of Heaven that he has been teaching about in the parables. A feast results from the smallest of portions—remember the mustard seed and the yeast. In this miracle we witness an example for Christian life and ministry. Even the smallest of offerings can produce abundant results when placed in the service of the Kingdom of Heaven.
We find the story of Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves and the fish in each of the four Gospels. In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, Jesus performs this same miracle on two separate occasions. The story of this miracle is an anticipation of the Eucharist in which we are fed by the abundant grace of God. The importance of the Eucharist has been a defining element of Christian life from the very beginning.
Resources
Live Mass
mass-online.org
Recorded Mass (30min) St-Edmund’s
https://youtu.be/JFYAyzKbkZg
God’s Gift for You – Bishop Barron
https://youtu.be/MkIzVIL84c8
Mini Homily – Fr. Goring
https://youtu.be/g4w_uDSrMbY