18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 14:13-21

The Lord hears the cry of the poor

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.  What a heart-rending opening to this most compassionate of all Jesus’ acts towards humankind.  He is overwhelmed with grief at the untimely death at Herod’s hand of his beloved cousin and must also have had premonitions of his own future.

Such had been his teaching the previous day to the crowds on the hillside that they had followed him on foot despite approaching evening and they had arrived around the other side of the lake just as Jesus did.

Do we see ourselves as part of this crowd each time we listen to God’s Word prior to partaking of the Eucharist?  Do the words of Isaiah:  “Seek me and you shall eat well; you shall delight in rich fare,” stir the hungers of our heart to let Christ enter into us?  Are we so hungry for the Word of God that we could pursue Him and forget about our very surroundings?  Sometimes when I join my community for Eucharist, this hunger is far from me and the words of the Eucharistic prayer I don’t even hear.  I fail to meet the Jesus who in today’s Gospel put his sorrowing for his friend on hold while he attended to  the needs of the crowds on the hillside. I fail to see the needs of those around me and therefore do nothing to help them.

Jesus used the prelude to feeding the crowds to highlight how even the smallest act of generosity can spark a deluge for everyone.  Only one small boy had anything he was willing to share, perhaps the least important member of the crowd but Jesus takes his gift of five loaves and two fish, blessed it, broke it, and gave the loaves to the disciples to distribute.  I guess as the disciples came to Jesus the loaves increased to whatever each could carry and then as each family received the loaves they each  had more than enough.  Jesus’ generosity was indeed pressed down and flowing over.

Jesus is our bread of life, bread that he gives us without cost but I must know my need and approach his table. 

As I leave each Eucharist at which I have been an active participant, I must go forth to break open the Word by actually helping those around me.  Only then can that Word increase and multiply.  Only when I forgive others will I allow the love of God to flow through me and to others.

Pat Barrett O.P.