There were three parts of today’s Gospel that I think are very impactful to meditate with.
First, the feeding of the five thousand foreshadows the Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “the miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist” (CCC 1335). Right after feeding the five thousand, Our Lord begins His long discourse on the Eucharist (John 6:26-72).
The boy who brought five loaves and two fish
The second part of the Gospel I thought was impactful to meditate with was the boy who brought five loaves and two fish. Our Lord takes these five loaves and two fish from the boy, multiplies them, and uses them to feed the five thousand. Christ easily could have created bread and loaves out of nothing, but He chose to use what the boy brought to multiply and distribute to the five thousand.
This shows so clearly how God likes to work with us. He can accomplish anything He wants without us, but he likes to include us and work with us. He likes to take our efforts and transform them into something great. All He asks is for you to bring what you have, and trust that He will provide for the rest! Maybe God is calling you to evangelize someone in your life- bring what little you have and trust that God will transform their heart and do the rest!
Jesus Took and Bread and Gave Thanks
The third part of today’s Gospel that struck me was: “Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.” Our Lord could have performed another miracle and had the food miraculously appear in front of each person. But He thought it was a much greater good for Him and His apostles to distribute the food themselves. We should strive to follow the example of Christ and go out of our way to serve others in such a joyful way that they may come to a deeper knowledge of Christ!
May Our Lord strengthen you this week in your love of the Most Blessed Sacrament, your trust in Him, and your service to others!
[Readings: 2 Kings 4:42-44;Ephesians 4:1-6;John 6:1-15]
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