Whenever I ask a group of teenagers to share their favorite story about Jesus, today’s Gospel is the one that always comes up (Luke 9:11b-17). “So much food!” they say. I think one of the reasons this is also such a memorable miracle story is the “go big” nature of it. Jesus doesn’t just give the hungry crowds a little to tide them over, but fills them with so much food that there are leftovers.
I was blessed to be a chaperon on a high school mission trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa after the torrential floods of 2008. The city was completely underwater and needed a lot of help. One of our tasks during the week long mission was to work with the Salvation Army and Red Cross at one of their shelter sites. Our main responsibility was to make sandwiches and food bags for the National Guard, armed forces, police, firefighters, etc. We also helped feed the local residents who had lost their homes and all their possessions in the floods.
One day we were asked to make 700 sandwiches, and we ran out of lunch meat. (Now keep in mind, all of the bread, lunch meat, chips, drinks, etc. was all donated by local companies.) The daily shipment of food had already been delivered, and we had used everything up. We managed to scrape together some PB&J sandwiches until we ran out of that as well. And we were far short of our goal of 700. Then suddenly, through the grace of God, an unexpected shipment of food arrived. We ended up making 2,600 sandwiches that day! One of our teens reminded us of today’s Gospel and how we just encountered a similar miracle; how we witnessed the power of God and how he overwhelmed us with plenty.
Today’s solemnity of Corpus Christi reminds us how Jesus gave us himself out of love and how he spreads a feast before us of bread and wine which provides us food for our journey. And we are asked to do the same: to live our lives the way that Jesus intended us to live – by being the body and blood of Christ to others. We are asked to use our gifts to help those around us.
But don’t we react like the disciples at times when we say that can’t do something because we only have a few loaves and a couple of fish? Or a modern day translation might be, “I don’t have enough time, I’m too busy, I’m not qualified, I’m not the right person. There’s so much to be done, what good can little ol’ me do? How can I possibly make a difference in this world? We always manage to come up with some kind of an excuse.
Maybe we need to look at this differently. Instead of looking at a situation from what I alone would do (or don’t want to do), we shift our perspective and look at it from what God might do (or wants us to do). If we change our thinking from the negative to the positive, we will begin to see from the eyes of our heart. We will begin to see the abundance that only God can provide. Only then will we truly be satisfied.
My sisters and brothers, as we approach this Eucharistic table to receive Jesus’ Most Holy Body and Blood, let us remember that Jesus calls us to use the few rations that we have – to give fully of ourselves – knowing and believing that God will supply what we cannot.
Let us pray and ask the Lord to give us the strength to live our lives the way he intended us to live; for what we have received from the Lord we must now pass on to others.
Great point, Allen, and so well put. Great example of your youth group experience of faith in action with the arrival of food not just to make the goal but to have in abundance. And, you and Stephanie can be duly proud of your youth when one sees the Gospel story being lived out right in front of their eyes.