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.
John 6:11

Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” we hear from time to time, meaning that a collection of things put together can be greater than what would be expected when each is alone. Today we hear two accounts of times when a seemingly inadequate number of loaves of bread provided plenty for a huge crowd to eat. We hope to exemplify the same saying when we join together as Church. Separately, we may feel inadequate to carry on the mission of Jesus. But together we form the body of Christ, capable of building the kingdom of God here on earth. Joining together today to be nourished in the Eucharist, let us dream of how together we can change the world.
 

Reflection

• The math involved in the first reading would seem to imply that the incident was nothing special. Surely twenty loaves of bread can be stretched to feed a hundred people. However, the barley loaves that Elisha was presented were small, probably not much larger than a dinner roll. Remember, all this bread was carried by one single person. Also note that these rolls were made from the firstfruits, the first crop of the harvest. This would have been the time of the year when the previous year’s harvest would have almost or completely run out. In other words, many would have already been going hungry. The generosity of one man who offered his gift to the man of God, followed by the generosity of Elisha, through the grace of God, satisfied the hunger of one hundred people . . . and more.

• In baptism we were called to put on Christ and so like Christ we are called to feed the hungry. Many are hungry because they are poor, unable to afford to consistently feed themselves or their families. Many more go hungry because they live in places where entire communities have no access to enough food to prevent malnutrition. Experts tell us that there exists enough food in the world so that no one—not a single one of the world’s almost eight billion people—need go hungry. Jesus was able to find a way to provide food for thousands by sharing what one person had and distributing it as far as it would stretch. Putting on Christ, we are called to find a way to share our plenty as far as it will go.

• Hungry for meaning in life, we come together to be fed at the table of the word, where we are nourished by the word of God, and the table of the Eucharist, where we are nourished by the Body of Christ. After our time together, we go forth, invited to share the sustenance we have received with all whom we meet. Paul reminds the Ephesians that God is “over all and through all and in all” (John 4:6). If God is through all and in all, then our challenge is to recognize God in others. Then, seeing God in those who are hungry, actually seeing the face of the Lord in them, we will be driven to make sure they have plenty.
 

Question of the Week

What can I do to alleviate hunger in my community, my city, our county, the world? What can I allocate from my plenty to relieve the hunger of someone else?