Gospel Reflection For The 12th day of April in the year of Our Lord, 2024
Gospel
John 6:1-15
1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is that of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw the miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 Jesus therefore went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 Now the pasch, the festival day of the Jews, was near at hand. 5 When Jesus therefore had lifted up his eyes, and seen that a very great multitude cometh to him, he said to Philip: Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to try him; for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him: Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to him: 9 There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves, and two fishes; but what are these among so many? 10 Then Jesus said: Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. The men therefore sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves: and when he had given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down. In like manner also of the fishes, as much as they would. 12 And when they were filled, he said to his disciples: Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost. 13 They gathered up therefore, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above to them that had eaten. 14 Now those men, when they had seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said: This is of a truth the prophet, that is to come into the world. 15 Jesus therefore, when he knew that they would come to take him by force, and make him king, fled again into the mountain himself alone.
In today’s Gospel, the people come to believe in Jesus because He fed them. Of course, He fed them miraculously. He fed them over-abundantly and, in fact, twelve baskets, were filled with leftover food. The symbology of twelve is both one of completion and a predicate to the churches that would be founded by the 12 Apostles. Of course, one of those was Judas… but as the Bible tells us, his office was quickly filled because the number of 12 held this significance as being complete. Soon after, Saint Paul would also be ordained as an Apostle because his mission was unique. And, Saint Barnabas would join Him in this mission of not merely spreading the Gospel, but especially in fighting against heresy and the claims of the Jewish tradition that sought to undermine Christianity. Saint Paul’s message was clear and adamant; no longer follow the Law of Judaism, but the teachings of the Christ through Holy Apostles.
In the Apostles, the fullness of the Gospel was taught and the Church established. The very term, Catholic, implies the universality of the Church. Through the 12, all the world would eventually learn of the Gospel of Christ. Just as the 12 baskets contained an abundance of food, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church contains all that is necessary for the salvation of all mankind.
One thing that stands out though is that the people believed in Jesus not because of His words and teaching, but because He fed them. That is a truism of humanity. We love and trust those who feed us. The family table is the heart of the family. Remove the sharing of meals and the family falls apart. Food is how we show love for each other. The more we take time to show care for others through food, the more we show and share in the Love of God. I believe, firmly, that valuing ingredients, cooking good food and sharing it with our families first, but also with others, is perhaps the most effective way we can quite literally save our families, communities, nation and our world. The story of our faith begins with an apple, continues with the meal offered by Abraham to his divine guests, the Passover feast and the manna God gave to the Hebrews in the desert, and culminates with the Eucharist. Food is at the very heart of all it means to be human and the center of our religion. Never take a single morsel for granted, as we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” in the same breath as we ask forgiveness for our sins. Food matters!
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.