Our Gospel this Sunday — the feeding of the multitude — could not have come at a better time, when so many people are suffering and even struggling to put food on the table. With the number of formal and informal initiatives that we read, hear, and see happening on the ground, how wonderful it would be if we had Jesus repeating this same miracle, here and now. It would certainly help so many people who are in this dire situation. The feeding of the crowds that had followed Jesus, impressed by the signs performed by Jesus, is only the prelude to Jesus ultimately offering Himself as the “bread of life”.
Quite often, hearing this passage, we marvel at the miracle of the multiplication. Even the disciples were marveled at the amount of scraps left over, which filled up twelve baskets. However, in this time that we are in, I would like to shift the focus onto the little boy whom Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, discovered in the crowd, the little boy who had with him, five barley loaves and two fish. Besides this brief mention, there is nothing more said of this little boy, but we may assume that his parents must have packed this food for his meal. Though there are many explanations as to how big the loaf may have been, surely five barley loaves and two fish would have been sufficient for more than one meal.
One can only suppose that for Andrew to discover this little boy’s “take-away” from home, it must have been the boy himself who offered the information. For the little boy, who had no idea that Jesus was going to perform a miracle, to offer this information would have meant that there is a possibility that by sharing his packed meal with others, he may only get a small portion. When it would have been so easy to be selfish, there seemed to have been no hesitancy on the part of the little boy to share the little he had with others.
Often we locate this miracle in Jesus blessing the loaves and fish and multiplying them – rightfully so. But what leads to this miracle is how the spark of generosity of one little boy made the feeding of the multitude a reality. Yes, Jesus could have made bread appear from the skies like Moses did but He did not.
Except for the Resurrection, the multiplication of loaves is the only miracle told in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:5-15). It is possible that we are being reminded not only of Jesus’ ability to perform such great miracles but that the breaking of bread and the feeding of the multitude for future generations must be modelled on the generosity of God, when the followers of Jesus must seek to break open their hearts with generosity and love towards others.
In this pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns, if we look around and see people in hunger, it is not just a miracle that we should pray for. In times like this, we may not have much to offer but we could with generosity in our hearts ask, ‘If I do have a small gift, talent or ability, how could my small little gifts, talents and abilities be put to good use to help who may have a greater need’? The generosity of God must be seen in the opening of our hearts to those in need.
The need may not just be for food, though it is a substantial need at this time for many, for others it could be words of encouragement and comfort when life in the future seems uncertain or even a phone call to say that you are remembered and being prayed for. The time now is not to ask what excess I can give but what can I share even if in a limited way. Since God is so generous, we, in turn, are to be generous, and we are blessed when we share.
It is legitimate that many of us worry what the coming days might be like and that is why the little boy in the Gospel today offers a glimmer of hope – God can take the little that we have to offer and multiply them. We might be limited in many ways, but there are no limits with God. For God to make this miracle happen during this time, our generosity is needed, and believe me, He will transform the little and He will feed the multitude – He is the Bread of Life who will never leave us hungry.
