miracles

“This is my Body”… “This is my Blood”

This Sunday, and for the next five Sundays we are being invited to participate in an adventure. Each week we will journey together through the pages of Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. The beauty of this chapter and the road we will walk side by side is one that means everything to us as followers of Jesus Christ. And as we will see, not everyone in the written account, in fact only a few, make it through to the end.

My hope is that each one of us here today not only make it through the journey, but that we are transformed, and our faith is renewed. What Jesus unveils for us with each verse of his teaching is the miracle of miracles, the sign of signs, God from God and Light from Light. Jesus will be sharing with us his Bread of Life discourse. Jesus will reveal that he is truly the Bread of Life come down from heaven. Jesus, the Son of God, becomes one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in our divinity. He comes even closer when he gives us himself in the appearance of bread and wine to be consumed.

My invitation for you during these dog days of summer is to get out your Bible, dust it off, if it has been a while since you have pondered its pages, and then slowly, prayerfully, each day over the next month, read, pray and meditate with John Chapter 6 and so come into each Mass even better prepared to receive the miraculous gift that Jesus wants to share with us.

We begin our journey by joining the “large crowd” following Jesus. They have gathered around him because they have seen or have heard about his healings, his exorcisms, and his teaching with authority and they are hungry for more. They are not aware of how hungry they are, and what will truly satisfy their deepest hunger. This is just as true for each of us. As Jesus watches them gather, he wants to not just satisfy their immediate hunger, but also to set the stage to reveal for them the deeper hunger of their soul.

Jesus seeks the same for his Apostles and so asks them, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat” (Jn 1:5)? Philip is stymied and doesn’t have a clue, but Andrew steps forward to share, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish”. I can see Jesus’ eyebrows raise here as he looks to Andrew with some hope in his heart that Andrew is getting it. But then as Andrew continues he also assumes the posture of Philip, “but what good are these for so many” (Jn 1:9). So close, Jesus might have said and then sighed with a smile as he received the loaves and fish.

We know what happens next, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, gave thanks to his Father, and all ate their fill and with enough left over to fill “five wicker baskets” (Jn 1:13). This miracle transpired with the little that was given, and remember Andrew received this meager amount from a boy.

In the ancient near East, children had no rites. Imagine this boy’s reaction. He was wise enough to bring food for the long trek back for him and his family, and now he had none. He was willing to give away his food and yet how would this be enough? Would he now go hungry too? Instead of running away at break neck speed when Andrew approached him for his food, the boy trusted and gave all he had. Was there something the boy saw in Jesus, just enough of a spark of faith to trust. There must have been because he gave and all were filled because he did so.

With the little that we give Jesus, when we trust in Jesus and let go, as the boy did, and as we surrender to his will, miracles happen. Jesus could have created food out of nothing, as his Father created the universe out of nothing, but he sought the participation of those around him. This happens at every Mass. The bread and wine that are brought to the altar represent the little that we bring to Mass. Our financial offerings yes, but also our prayers, our petitions for ourselves and intentions for others, as well as our deepest hunger.

Jesus receives what we give and multiplies it just as he did with the multiplication of the loaves. The priest takes the bread first and then the wine into his hands and speaks the words of Jesus again and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. How do we know this to be true? Because Jesus said then and we hear his words again at each Mass:

“This is my Body”.

“This is the chalice of my Blood”.

In the miracle of Jesus multiplying the five loaves and three fish to feed the thousands, he was setting the stage for the miracle we get to experience at each Mass. The appearance of bread and wine remains, but its substance, the reality at the core, has been changed to become the Body and Blood of Christ. This miracle we don’t just read about, but can experience and receive him again and again to satisfy the deepest hunger of our souls.

We are just beginning, the journey continues next Sunday!

Photo: Blessed to be a priest participating in the miracle of turning bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ during Mass each day!

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, July 28, 2024

Any willingness to share, Jesus will multiply.

As Christians we are called to be disciples of Jesus, to learn his teachings, and follow his ways. We are also called to be apostles in that we are to go out, proclaim, and share that he is who he said he is, and how he has affected our lives. Often when we are reminded of this message though, we may feel inadequate. We may question what it is that we can even possibly offer to help build up the kingdom of God. We may feel we have nothing to share, nothing to give, nothing to say, or that what the Lord asks of us, we do not know how to accomplish.

The disciples express similar feelings today for the latter point. Jesus shows concern for the thousands who had just listened to him for three days and are readying to depart. He is concerned that they are hungry and that some may collapse on their way home. The disciples look about bewildered as to how they could possibly feed the vast crowd. Then Jesus asked, “How many loaves do you have” (Mk 8:5)? They responded that they had seven loaves and two fish. Jesus would go on to feed, not only the whole multitude gathered, but when all ate their fill, seven baskets of bread fragments were left over.

We may not know how to take active steps to live our faith out in our daily lives, we may not even be aware of how to begin. On the other hand, we may have actually been engaged in service, but have started to coast, gotten complacent. If we are not moving ahead in the spiritual life, we are moving behind.

Each day is a new opportunity to begin again, and a good way to do so is to place ourselves in the presence of Jesus. We can sit before a statue, a picture, or an icon of him, we can look out a window, sit on a porch, or go outside. Any place that we can just be still and close our eyes will work. Then take some deep breaths, be silent and return to today’s Gospel account. The need of the people that were with Jesus for three days was hunger. As you reflect, what is your need? What needs might there be in your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, or classmates? What needs in your community?

As you ponder these questions, resist any temptation to self-censor. Allow any need or needs to arise. Once you identify a concern, listen to the same words Jesus asked, “What do you have, what can you offer?”

You may not have an immediate answer. Stay with the question for a period of time, take it with you throughout the day if need be. Resist looking for the big response, a grand plan. Ask yourself what you can offer, no matter how small. Your willingness to share and to help, Jesus can multiply and bring about amazing results.

The disciples only gave seven loaves and two fish, which seemed insignificant to feed the thousands, and yet, Jesus multiplied that meager amount to feed all present with seven baskets left over. Jesus provides, Jesus works through us. The question we need to answer is not are we worthy, wise, or strong enough? The question we need to answer is, “Are we willing?”

Photo: St. Vincent De Paul, our patron saint at the seminary, was willing to help and Jesus touched many through him. Entry to St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, February 10, 2024