A Homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2009-B
[“The multiplication of the loaves,” by Giovanni Lanfranco, 1582-1647]
One of the most beautiful, and theologically rich chapters in the Gospels is the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, which we hear the beginning of today. This chapter is so important that we spend five weeks, starting today, reading from this one chapter. This chapter is known as the “Bread of Life” discourse, and contains a profound teaching on the Eucharist.
St. John tells us that this event, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, occurs near the time of Passover. Passover is the most important of the Jewish holy days, for it recalls the mighty works of God in freeing the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. In particular, the Feast of Passover commemorates the Angel of Death passing over the homes of the Israelites which were marked with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, on which the people were feasting. A sacrifice within the context of a meal — a very important theme for us to keep in mind.
Jesus, in the Bread of Life discourse, starts to reveal that He is the real sacrificial lamb on whose Body and Blood we will feast. The great work of God which will be accomplished in Christ Jesus will not be simply a liberation from a physical enslavement. Rather it is the liberation from sin and death. It is the food that brings us to eternal life.
In this first part of the 6th chapter of St. John’s Gospel, Jesus is concerned about feeding the “large crowd” that followed Him. The crowd has been drawn to Jesus in their suffering, and Jesus has been healing the sick. Jesus surrenders Himself to the reality of human suffering so that He can truly feed them.
Let us focus on three sayings of Jesus in today’s Gospel to help us understand this wonderful mystery. Jesus asks Phillip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” This question highlights the human impossibility of the situation. Yet it also strengthens the faith of those who hear it. How often do we find ourselves in impossible situations? Perhaps it is unemployment, or an illness, or family discord. Yet faith in Christ Jesus turns what seems absurd and futile, when left to human devices, into a cause of celebration and rejoicing. “To receive the Bread of Life, we must first sacrifice our negativity, our self-reliance, and our negligence towards God” (Cameron, To Praise, To Bless, to Preach: Spiritual Reflections on the Sunday Gospels, Cycle B, p. 101).
Next Jesus tells His disciples, “Have the people recline.” As the Apostles invite the crowd to recline on the grass, they are also encouraging the people to put their trust in Jesus. In other words, the Apostles foster hope in the people. The certainty that they have now in their relationship with Jesus gives them a certainty about the future — Jesus will provide. Elsewhere in the Scriptures, we are told “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope….” (1 Peter 3:15). We, as witnesses of Christ, are to foster hope in those around us. By fixing our eyes confidently on Jesus, we unite ourselves to the Lord in a communion of holiness.
Lastly, Jesus commands the disciples to “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” Why did Jesus insist on gathering up the left over fragments? It was to emphasize that what the people had just experienced was much more than an ordinary meal; it was an extraordinary encounter of Divine love. This extraordinary encounter of God’s love, experienced through the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, will find its fulfillment on the hill of Calvary in Jesus’ death on the Cross. The Divine love is without limits.
The disciples gather up the fragments so that they can be shared with others. Likewise we gather up the fragments — the brokenness — of our lives so that in our suffering, united to the Cross of Christ, God’s love is released for the salvation of the world.
To partake in the Bread of Life, we must be willing to make an offering of ourselves that is equal to Christ’s. As He gave His all for love of us, we must give all we have for love of Him.
