This Sunday’s Gospel tells the story of the feeding of the five thousand. This is often considered a foreshadowing of the Eucharist and it gives us insight into what is expected of us when we gather around the Table of the Lord.
In our celebration of the Eucharist we are first nourished ourselves, then by the grace of the Eucharist, we are emboldened to go out into the world to feed others.
We are emboldened to take the living presence of Christ out into the world and share it with all whom we encounter. We are called to go to those who hunger not only for real food but to those who hunger for racial justice and mercy as well…to go to those who hunger for peace and forgiveness; to go to those who hunger for affordable housing and just wages.
The “real presence” has the power to feed the hungers of the world but only if we are willing to share it with the world. We may often feel as though we do not have enough to share because the hunger is so overwhelming. But, just as Jesus took the boy’s five loaves and two fishes and fed thousands, God will take our “lacking” and turn it into abundance, so that all may be fed.
The Eucharist fills us with the very presence of the Risen One and emboldens us to feed those who hunger for asylum and seek a better life in this country and for those who hunger for an end to racism, bigotry and misogyny. Filled with the very presence of the Risen One we can work to heal divisions in our families, our places of work, school and our local communities.
The Eucharist empowers us to do this with love and compassion, so that in the midst of fearful and violent rhetoric we might become the voice of Christ calling all of us to open, honest and compassionate dialogue aimed at healing our divisions. So that through open and compassionate dialogue we might come to see “the other” as sister and brother, as children of God graced with human dignity that needs to be respected and protected at all costs.
What are the “five loaves and two fishes” of my life that I can share with someone who hungers? Who is God calling me to feed today? What conversations am I being called to have with others who hold different views and how can I keep Christ at the center of that conversation to keep the dialogue cordial and inviting?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
In our celebration of the Eucharist we are first nourished ourselves, then by the grace of the Eucharist, we are emboldened to go out into the world to feed others.
We are emboldened to take the living presence of Christ out into the world and share it with all whom we encounter. We are called to go to those who hunger not only for real food but to those who hunger for racial justice and mercy as well…to go to those who hunger for peace and forgiveness; to go to those who hunger for affordable housing and just wages.
The “real presence” has the power to feed the hungers of the world but only if we are willing to share it with the world. We may often feel as though we do not have enough to share because the hunger is so overwhelming. But, just as Jesus took the boy’s five loaves and two fishes and fed thousands, God will take our “lacking” and turn it into abundance, so that all may be fed.
The Eucharist fills us with the very presence of the Risen One and emboldens us to feed those who hunger for asylum and seek a better life in this country and for those who hunger for an end to racism, bigotry and misogyny. Filled with the very presence of the Risen One we can work to heal divisions in our families, our places of work, school and our local communities.
The Eucharist empowers us to do this with love and compassion, so that in the midst of fearful and violent rhetoric we might become the voice of Christ calling all of us to open, honest and compassionate dialogue aimed at healing our divisions. So that through open and compassionate dialogue we might come to see “the other” as sister and brother, as children of God graced with human dignity that needs to be respected and protected at all costs.
What are the “five loaves and two fishes” of my life that I can share with someone who hungers? Who is God calling me to feed today? What conversations am I being called to have with others who hold different views and how can I keep Christ at the center of that conversation to keep the dialogue cordial and inviting?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
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