One of the most sought-after invitations is 'Come for lunch,' or 'Come for dinner.' Though such invitations are hard to come by - specially in these times - it cannot be denied that breaking bread with friends nourishes one physically and emotionally.
In today's gospel, when Jesus saw the crowd that was following him, his first question to Philip was, 'Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?' He was not concerned about what he was going to preach or where they would sit. He knows they would be hungry at this time and he puts first things first. He is the host of the moment and they are his guests. Such humility.
Having said that, Jesus was not perturbed. He knew what his mission was. He knew what he would do. But he chose to ask the disciples what should be done. Considering that Jesus was God they had reason to believe that it was in His power to do any thing. (Jn. 6: 1-15)
But they did not believe he could do it.
They kept giving excuses instead. They used diminutive words like 'small' boy and 'only' two fish. They were overwhelmed by the task at hand. It was beyond their comprehension to meet the challenge.
Then Jesus asks for the five loaves and two fish, raises his eyes to heaven and blesses the food. The crowd of five thousand eats. There are twelve baskets left. Jesus can do the impossible.
The boy gives all he has. He does not give one fish or two loaves. (Wintermute) He trusts God implicitly. He does not scoff at Jesus. He has faith that all will be well. Like the drummer boy, he makes his humble offering, however audacious it may seem.
If it were not for the nameless boy, there may not have been food to serve the multitude. Jesus acts through little people.
In the homily this morning for Mass the priest spoke about how, if we do our work with a pure intention we are guided to do the right things. Our work gets done. This was true for me when I wanted to approach a source for funding for my latest project. Imagine my joy when he said, 'Send it to me. I'll propose it as one of our activities.'
On our own we are nothing. With Jesus nothing is impossible.
The act of Jesus placed in the second week after Easter may suggest that it occurs after the Resurrection. But the readings do not go always in linear time. It is rather cyclic. This act occurs before the death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is the only event carried by all the four gospels.
The incident alerts us to those who provide food for us. We pray for them, as for those who go hungry. Like Jesus we can try to be conscious of those in need of food to eat and alleviate them of their hunger. (theologyofwork.org)
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Pic of 'A lad, five loaves and two fish,' oil painting by James Bailey. Pic (bottom) Mackerel cutlets made by Queenie Mendonca for dinner.
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