Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
For today’s Gospel reading click the link below:
Mass Readings
(Isaiah 55:1-3, Rom 8:35,37-39, Matt 14:13-21)
Homily Reflection by Fr. JJ Fenelon
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
“Something beautiful for God” is the way Mother Teresa used to describe her work which was taking care of the poorest of the poor – “If they lived like dogs at least when they die they should die with the dignity of a human being.”
Most Christians, like Mother Teresa, want to do great things for God and that’s what is expected of the life of a disciple of Christ. St James says “Faith without good works is empty faith” (James 2:14-26). At the same time, we need to be careful that our good works don’t make God indebted to us. Sometimes, people get disappointed with God for not answering their prayers, especially when they have been doing great things for Him. E.g. serving in church ministry for many years, doing great works of charity for the poor etc….
Today’s readings remind us that our God is a God of love. He wants to work miracles in our lives because of His great love for us. He takes care of all our needs both material and spiritual, if we put our trust in Him.
Divine Providence has been at work in us for all of our lives. We are living proof of that. Ordinarily it happens in an ordinary manner. Sometimes it happens in an extraordinary manner. Some of us may even be aware of God having taken care of us on some occasion in an extraordinary manner. For example: helping us to cope with a prolonged illness in our senior years, loss of a loved one, looking after children with special needs, a broken relationship. Yes, God is taking care of things, and it is important for me, and for you to remember that. It is because of what He does for us first that we are prompted to do great things for Him (1Jn.4:7-16). Mother Teresa’s life and the life of the saints are a testimony to that.
God has created everything in this world for us. We are the summit of his creation, “God made man and woman in His image and likeness, (Gen.1:26-27). He shares with us Jesus as our Saviour which we experience in Word and in Sacrament in the celebration of the Eucharist, thus preparing us for the Heavenly banquet, and challenges us to share our blessings with others. We hear these words at the end of the Mass, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
Even when we take His love for granted and sin against Him He continues to shower His unconditional love on us. This is evident in the 1st reading. Isaiah consoles the Jewish exiles in Babylon, assuring them of their return to their homeland and promising them that Yahweh their God alone can and will provide for their spiritual and physical needs. He will pardon their sins and will offer them participation in His Heavenly banquet. This is what the Jews will experience when they return to Israel. But God’s love for His people is not an isolated or temporary one, but one that goes on till this present age and beyond.
What Isaiah told the people in the First Reading, “Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come!” is fulfilled in today’s Gospel. Jesus is stricken with grief on learning of the death of John the Baptist. He wants to go away to a quiet place to be alone with his disciples. But the people don’t allow that. They follow Jesus to the other side of the lake.
Jesus takes pity on them and heals their sick. Not only that, He multiplies 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5,000 people.
Jesus demonstrates God’s caring love by feeding the people in two ways. Spiritually by his preaching and physically by the miraculous multiplication of five loaves and two fish, which the apostles had brought and which they gave Jesus to feed the people. This miracle shows the Divinity of Jesus, the providing care of God and the compassion of Jesus for the crowd. It is a Messianic sign, presenting Jesus as the new Moses who fed the Israelites in the desert and the new Elisha who miraculously fed the starving people of Gilgal (2 Kings 42-44).
Jesus continues to perform this miracle every time we celebrate the Eucharist. He now feeds not just 5,000, but millions of Catholics around the world. The Eucharistic wordings used in the Gospel, “taking, blessing, breaking and giving thanks”, and the promise made by Jesus at the Last Supper, that he would give his body and blood as food and drink (John 6:25-70), make the miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fish a prefiguring symbol of the Holy Eucharist.
Jesus comes to us in the humble forms of bread and wine to give us His Body and Blood for our ongoing salvation. This is the greatest miracle taking place on the altars of every Catholic Church throughout the world. “From East to West a perfect offering is made…”
“In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins” (1 Jn.4-10).
Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 145), has us sing, “The Hand of the Lord feeds us; He answers all our needs,” in praise of the mercy, forgiveness and maternal care of a loving and providing God.
In the Second Reading, Paul argues that since God’s love for us is so immense and infinite, “nothing can come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Now this can be something that is easy to say. And it may be relatively easy to do as long as the doing doesn’t get too difficult. St. Paul had many opportunities to prove his love for Christ during very difficult circumstances. And he succeeded by remaining faithful. Our service to God and neighbour might be easy to manage in good times but very challenging in difficult times. Being faithful in loving God and neighbour over the years, especially in the midst of difficulties, is a great thing. And there are many saints who became saints just by doing that. Think of St Therese of Lisieux, (the Little Flower) and St Bernadette. They were not known for any great accomplishments. They just did their ordinary everyday things in the convent extraordinarily well. They were stricken with illnesses and yet were faithful to their prayer life and community life. That is within the grasp of each of us. To be faithful to God and to love Him in service, with our whole heart, mind, soul and being and to love our neighbour as ourself. Let us pray for this grace, Amen!