Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

JOHN 6:1-15
I WOULD GUESS THAT I GET AN EMAIL FROM ONE OF MY FRIENDS OR RELATIVES AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK PROMISING THAT IF I WILL FORWARD THE CONTENTS OF THE EMAIL TO TEN OF MY FRIENDS, SOMETHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN; AND SOMETIMES I LEARN THAT IF I DON'T, SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN TO ME. YOU WILL SEE OCCASIONAL ADS IN THE NEWSPAPER PROMISING THAT IF WE SAY A PARTICULAR PRAYER IT WILL BE ANSWERED. AND NOW AND THEN YOU WILL FIND A BROCHURE IN THE CHURCH, STATING THAT A PARTICULAR PRAYER HAS NEVER BEEN KNOWN TO FAIL.
THERE ARE A LOT OF OUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS WHO BELIEVE THERE ARE WAYS TO GET GOD TO DO SOMETHING THEY WANT. UNFORTUNATELY THAT IS A TENDENCY IN EVERY HUMAN BEING, NOT JUST CHRISTIANS. SOMETIMES IT IS TO SAY A CERTAIN PRAYER, OR TO PERFORM A CERTAIN RITUAL. WE MIGHT LAUGH AT SOME OF THE PRACTICES OF PRIMITIVE PEOPLE, BUT THERE MAY NOT BE THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE. BUT SOMETIMES IT IS MORE SUBTLE. WE BELIEVE THAT IF WE LIVE A CERTAIN WAY, SAY OUR PRAYERS, GET TO MASS ON SUNDAY, WE WILL GET GOD TO TAKE CARE OF US, AND AT LEAST GET US INTO HEAVEN.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MIRACLES AND MAGIC. MAGIC IS WHEN WE SAY OR DO SOMETHING SO THAT GOD WILL DO SOMETHING. MAGIC JUST DOESN'T WORK. GOD CAN'T BE MANIPULATED, BY DEFINITION. HE CAN'T BE COERCED OR FLATTERED OR OTHERWISE PERSUADED TO DO SOMETHING CONTRARY TO HIS WILL; AND AT THE SAME TIME, HIS WILL ALWAYS WILL BE DONE, SOONER OR LATER; WE CAN'T CHANGE THAT.
BUT A MIRACLE IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL. A MIRACLE BEGINS WITH SOMEONE TAKING A STEP IN TRUST, AND GOD CHOOSING TO RESPOND TO A NEED IN HIS OWN WAY. LETS SEE HOW THAT WORKS IN THE STORY OF THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND.
JESUS IS AWARE OF A NEED, A CROWD OF PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T EATEN IN A WHILE. THEY AREN'T STARVING TO DEATH; THEY ARE MERELY HUNGRY. I'LL BET THERE WASN'T A SINGLE PERSON IN THAT CROWD WHO ACTUALLY EXPECTED TO GET FED. BUT JESUS WANTS TO FEED THEM. AND THAT'S NOT SURPRISING; JESUS IS THE PERFECT REFLECTION OF THE FATHER, AND THE FATHER WANTS TO FULFILL HIS CHILDREN'S NEEDS. AND JESUS TURNS TO HIS APOSTLES AND SAYS, “WHERE CAN WE BUY ENOUGH FOOD FOR THEM TO EAT?” NOW JOHN, THE AUTHOR OF THIS GOSPEL, DOESN'T WANT ANY OF US TO FORGET THAT JESUS IS TRULY GOD. SO HE TELLS US THAT JESUS SAID THIS TO TEST THEM, BECAUSE HE ALREADY KNEW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO. I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE SO, MAYBE NOT. PHILIP SAYS “IT CAN'T BE DONE.” HAD THE STORY STOPPED THERE, IT WOULD HAVE NEVER MADE IT INTO THE GOSPEL. GOD WANTED TO FEED HIS PEOPLE, BUT NO ONE WAS STEPPING FORWARD IN TRUST TO DO WHAT HE OR SHE KNEW GOD WANTED DONE. BUT ANDREW STEPS FORWARD AND SAYS, “HERE IS SOME BREAD AND SOME FISH, NOT ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT WE NEED, BUT ITS A BEGINNING.” AND ANDREW HAS TAKEN A STEP IN TRUST, AND GOD NOW CHOOSES TO RESPOND. ANDREW, YOU WILL NOTICE, DID NOT SAY, “WELL LORD, JUST DO A MIRACLE.” BUT HE DID WHAT HE COULD TO DEAL WITH WHAT JESUS HAD IDENTIFIED AS HIS DESIRE – TO FEED THESE PEOPLE. AND THEN THE MIRACLE TOOK PLACE.
ANOTHER THING ABOUT A MIRACLE IS THAT IT HAPPENS THE WAY GOD WANTS IT TO, NOT THE WAY WE WOULD LIKE IT TO HAPPEN. JESUS DID NOT SET OUT A SMORGASBOARD OF FINE FOODS AND RICH WINES, ALTHOUGH WE ALL WOULD AGREE THAT HE COULD HAVE. NO, EVERYONE GOT SOME COARSE PEASANT BREAD; NO BUTTER OR JAM; AND SOME DRIED FISH, NO TARTAR SAUCE. IT WAS WHAT THEY ALL NEEDED; A SOURCE OF PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATE; SOMETHING TO TIDE THEM OVER. IT WAS ADEQUATE AND FILLED THEM UP. THE MIRACLE WAS WHAT JESUS WANTED, NOT WHAT THE PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE WANTED IF THEY HAD BEEN ASKED.
AND FINALLY, I AM CONVINCED THAT A REAL MIRACLE IS NOT JUST GOD MEETING A PERCEIVED NEED OF HIS PEOPLE; A REAL MIRACLE ENLIGHTENS; IT SHOWS US SOMETHING WE DID NOT KNOW. AND THIS MIRACLE IS NO EXCEPTION. IT OF COURSE SHOWS THE PEOPLE THAT JESUS IS NOT JUST A WANDERING PREACHER, OR EVEN A WONDER-WORKER. WHY WAS THERE SO MUCH LEFT OVER, MUCH MORE THAN THEY HAD EVEN STARTED WITH? THAT IS THE REVELATION. GOD FREELY MEETS THE NEEDS OF HIS PEOPLE, BUT IN DOING SO, PROVIDES THEM WITH THE MEANS TO DO EVEN MORE. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE BASKETS OF LEFT-OVERS, BUT THEY MUST HAVE BEEN USED FOR SOMETHING, SINCE JESUS HAD THEM GATHERED UP SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT GO TO WASTE. MAYBE THEY WENT TO THE POOR, OR MAYBE THEY MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE APOSTLES TO EAT FOR A FEW DAYS, WHO KNOWS.
IN A MIRACLE, A CREATURE, THAT'S YOU AND I, DOES SOMETHING TO MEET A NEED THAT WE KNOW GOD DESIRES TO BE MET; AND WE KNOW GOD WANTS AN END TO HUNGER, POVERTY, SADNESS, OPPRESSION, SICKNESS – YOU AND I KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS FOR HIS PEOPLE. WE DO SOMETHING EVEN IF WE KNOW THAT WE CAN'T POSSIBLY MAKE THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE. BUT WE'VE DONE SOMETHING. AND GOD MAY CHOOSE TO TAKE WHAT LITTLE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, AND WHAT HAPPENS WILL BE BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS. A NUN FEELS THAT GOD HAS CALLED HER TO CARE FOR THE DYING ON THE STREETS OF CALCUTTA, AND SHE SETS OUT, DOING WHAT SHE CAN. AND GOD WORKS A MIRACLE AND THE WORK SHE STARTED GOES ON ALL OVER THE WORLD. A SIMPLE ITALIAN PARTY BOY HEARS GOD CALL HIM TO REBUILD HIS CHURCH, AND GOES OUT TO ACTUALLY REBUILD CHURCHES – AND THE FRANCISCAN MOVEMENT IS PERHAPS THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF CHRISTENDOM. AND A FATHER BRINGS HIS DAUGHTER AT GREAT EXPENSE TO EXPERTS TO HEAL HER HEART, EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS A FATAL DISEASE; AND MANY YEARS LATER, SHE IS WELL.
THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND THE FISHES SHOWS US THAT IF WE TAKE THOSE FIRST HALTING STEPS TOWARDS MEETING A NEED THAT WE SEE AROUND US, IF IT IS PART OF GOD'S PLAN WE MAY WITNESS GOD BREAKING IN TO OUR WORLD ONCE AGAIN.
AND EVERY TIME WE CELEBRATE MASS WE ARE REMINDED OF THIS; WE BRING A LITTLE BREAD AND A LITTLE WINE, AND OFFER IT TO GOD, AND GOD RESPONDS BY GIVING US HIS SON, NOT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BUT ONCE, ONCE FOR ALL ETERNITY, TO FEED OUR HUNGRY SPIRITS.