All four of the evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell the story of this day when Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Each embellishes his version with his own details and emphases. Mark and Matthew tell us Jesus commanded the people out there in the wilderness to sit down on the green grass. I‘ll not probe the question, but why, I wonder, is there this reference to the color of the grass? John’s version of the event reminds me of words in Psalm 23: “He beckons me to lie down in green pastures.”
We can relate to the generosity of the young boy who shared his five barley loaves and two fish. We’re not told how it happened that the boy had the fish and the loaves. Perhaps most people at that time would not dream of going out into the wilderness without at least a little something to eat and drink.
So, the story, it seems to me, (in today’s lingo) was a “pay forward” moment; you know, similar to the Dairy Queen drive-thru customer who paid the tab for the car coming up behind her. That started a chain reaction that lasted for 3 days and 200 thankful Dairy Queen customers! The generosity of the young boy on the green grass at Jesus’ feet started a “pay-forward” reaction that enabled Jesus to feed the hungry crowd. Some evangelists say it was 5000 people. Others recalled “5000 not counting the women and children”. I find it interesting that in John’s version Jesus tells the apostles to have the people recline and John says the men reclined. What were the women doing? I would venture a guess they were doing “women’s work” i.e. rounding up the kids, wondering if there’d be enough bread and what they were going to give the men to drink.
What trust! What faith in Jesus the apostles showed in telling the people to relax! Be patient. Sit down! Surely, they could not fathom how all these people could be fed. Even when pooling all their supplies, they certainly did not have the resources to feed this crowd. What were they to do now that they had people seated and waiting to see what would happen next? That’s what you call FAITH! That’s obedience – trusting the wisdom of God to do the impossible! We just need to take the first step: Listen and obey the prompting of the Spirit: “Tell the people to be seated”.
No doubt Jesus could have multiplied the available supplies if he wanted to. But, as John asks, to what end? The very next day the people would be hungry. They’d likely not be clamoring “Speech! Speech! Share a good word! Let’s hear it!” They’d be waiting for the apostles to open Jesus’ food distribution center.
On this day, out in the wilderness, John tells us that the people ate and were satisfied. Which would be more satisfying to you, a full belly for a single afternoon, or a glimpse, a vision of what life looks like when lived in the company of generous people under the reign of God? What would our world be like if people acknowledged that they are called to be transformed? What would happen if we were truly as open-handed with our possessions as the young boy on the hillside was with his? What would have been the status of the pandemic if everyone followed CDC advice: got vaccinated, wore a mask, washed their hands? What would the stats be today if people continued to practice those sanitation protocols? Hospital visits are on the rise while at the same time admissions remain relatively low.
And, what would happen if we really believed that Jesus still has the power to take the gifts we offer and to create from our generosity widespread outbreaks of sharing? As I watched the Olympics opening ceremony I was thinking “This is lovely – a testament to the ingenuity of computer whizzes! Soon I wondered: With the millions donated by sponsors and spent on the production to awe the crowds, much good could have been done. With the millions rolling in to support political campaigns, I daresay that the world could be transformed. Over 3.1 million children a year (one child every 10 seconds) would not die of hunger. Let us strive to reflect the attitude and directive of the apostles that long-ago day on that lush green hillside: “Tell the people to be seated.”
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
Let us pray together for safety and enjoyment for the crowds in France for the Olympics, and protection for thousands enduring the effects of inclement weather: Floods and too much rain, drought, low water table, loss of profitable crops, and high irrigating costs, and terror as fires approach homes, businesses and forests … and pray for peace amid unsettling times over political issues and factions ……
God bless us all!
First Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44 Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6
Gospel: John 6:1-15
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