Greetings on this the Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Matthew 14:13-21
Summary
God works through relationship rather than coercion and He works through divine-human cooperation as His preferred operating mode.
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
Jesus did not choose confrontation but a certain isolation that invites us out of our towns to him: alone, undistracted, specific in purpose.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
[He] saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
Then he made divine-human cooperation central to his response.
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”
- It is the Lord who performs the miracles of healing and the multiplication of the loaves.
- He invites us to present our meager resources as gifts.
- He brings them into fullness by the power of his love (in this case described as pity – sympathy and sorrow for those suffering).
- The miracle is super-abundant food enough for all to be satisfied and, symbolically, for the whole of Israel (12 baskets for the twelve tribes).
Isaiah invites the thirsty to come freely to the water; Jesus later reveals himself as the giver of water welling up to eternal life.
All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, buy grain and eat. But whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (Isa 55:1; Jn 4:14).
Reflection on Divine-human cooperation
For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building (1 Cor 3:9).
The second reading (Letter to the Romans) makes clear that our little contribution is enough in the hands of a loving God. God’s plans will not be thwarted. Said another way, it grounds our cooperation in confidence that divine love sustains us despite our weakness, trials, and tribulations.
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.
So the question isn’t, “Does God love us?” or “Does God have enough?”
The question is “What am I willing to offer?”
Personal Reflection
The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs (Ps 145:16).
Lord, help me participate in feeding, healing, and sharing the divine life.
All I got is five loaves and two fish. Not much of anything at all.
You have the words of everlasting life! Take what I have and make it enough.
Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080226.cfm
Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry