JOHN 6:1-15
IF YOU HAVE BEEN PAYING
ATTENTION, YOU NOTICED THAT THE GOSPEL WAS FROM JOHN TODAY, RATHER
THAN MARK. IF WE HAD KEPT READING MARK, WE WOULD HAVE READ ABOUT THE
MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND THE FISHES. BUT THE CHURCH DECIDED TO HAVE
US READ SEVERAL PARTS OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FOR A WHILE. MARK ONLY
TALKS ABOUT THE MIRACLE; JOHN GOES INTO GREAT DETAIL ABOUT WHAT THE
MIRACLE MEANS. WE'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT IN THE COMING WEEKEND
LITURGIES.
EVEN THOUGH WE ARE
FAMILIAR WITH THE STORY ABOUT THE FEEDING OF THE MULTITUDE, THEY ARE
SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM GOSPEL TO GOSPEL. IN JOHN, WE LEARN THAT
PHILIP SAYS TO THE LORD, “FEEDING THESE PEOPLE IS IMPOSSIBLE. EVEN
TWO HUNDRED DAYS WAGES WOULD BARELY MAKE A DENT.” BUT ANDREW
BRINGS A BOY WHO HAS A FEW BARLEY LOAVES AND A COUPLE OF DRIED FISH,
AND SAYS, “LORD, HE'S WILLING TO HELP, BUT WHAT GOOD WILL THIS DO?”
AND THE REST FOLLOWS ALONG THOSE FAMILIAR LINES.
IF YOU COME INTO THE
CHURCH SOMETIMES YOU WILL FIND A LITTLE PILE OF XEROXED PAPERS ABOUT
THE NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE. I'M SURE THAT WHOEVER RUNS THEM OFF AND
LEAVES THEM HERE IS VERY SINCERE, AND PROBABLY CLOSER TO THE LORD
THAN I AM. THEY BASICALLY SAY THAT IF YOU SAY THE PRAYER NINE TIMES
A DAY FOR NINE DAYS AND LEAVE NINE COPIES OF THE PRAYER IN THE CHURCH
EACH TIME, WHAT YOU PRAY FOR WILL HAPPEN. YOU'VE PROBABLY RUN ACROSS
OTHER SUCH PRAYERS. WE EVEN SAY THEM AT THE END OF MASS SOMETIMES;
WE SAY THE “MEMORARE” WHICH HAS THE LINES “NEVER WAS IT KNOWN
THAT ANYONE WHO FLED TO YOUR PROTECTION, IMPLORED YOUR HELP, OR
SOUGHT YOUR INTERCESSION WAS LEFT UNAIDED.” BUT IF WE BELIEVE THAT
THESE PRAYERS COMPEL GOD TO DO SOMETHING, AS IT SEEMS THE PRAYER TO
SAINT JUDE DOES, WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A MIRACLE, WE ARE ASKING, OR
MAYBE TELLING GOD TO DO MAGIC. IN MAGIC, YOU SAY WORDS ACCORDING TO
A FORMULA, USUALLY IN SOME REPETITIVE FASHION, YOU WAVE YOUR HANDS,
YOU BURN INCENSE, MAYBE YOU OFFER AN ANIMAL AND YOU EXPECT GOD TO
COMPLY.
BUT A MIRACLE IS
DIFFERENT. IF YOU WANT A MIRACLE, YOU HAVE TO BRING SOMETHING TO THE
TABLE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE SEE IN THE GOSPEL STORY. ALL THE APOSTLES
HAVE SEEN JESUS WORK MIRACLES; IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN THE FIRST THING
THEY SAW WAS THE MIRACLE AT CANA, WHEN HE TURNED WATER INTO WINE.
THEY'VE SEEN HEALINGS AND DEMONS BEING DRIVEN OUT. AND WHEN YOU GO
TO THE ACCOUNTS OF THE MIRACLES, MOST OF THE TIME SOMEONE BROUGHT
SOMETHING TO JESUS. IN THE CANA MIRACLE, THEY BROUGHT HIM JUGS OF
WATER. IN THE HEALING OF THE PARALYZED MAN, HIS FRIENDS BROUGHT THE
MAN TO JESUS BY LOWERING HIM THROUGH THE ROOF. YOU GET THE IDEA.
AND IN THIS STORY, AS WELL, ANDREW BRINGS THE BOY WITH THE LOAVES AND
THE FISHES. HE'S SKEPTICAL; HE ISN'T CONVINCED THAT JESUS CAN WORK A
MIRACLE THIS BIG; BUT HE BRINGS SOMETHING TO JESUS.
WHEN YOU READ ABOUT THE
MIRACLES ATTRIBUTED TO THE SAINTS, YOU SEE THE SAME PATTERN. SAINT
FRANCIS HAD A DREAM THAT HE WAS TO REBUILD THE CHURCH SO HE WENT OUT
AND STARTED TO REBUILD AN OLD ABANDONED CHURCH BUILDING. MOTHER
THERESA SAW THE GREAT NEED OF THE STREET PEOPLE OF CALCUTTA, AND
THOUGH SHE HAD NOTHING AND SHE WAS ONLY ONE PERSON, SHE STARTED
TAKING CARE OF THEM ANYWAY. IF YOU WANT A MIRACLE, YOU HAVE TO BRING
SOMETHING. POPE FRANCIS GOT IT. HE SAID, “PRAY TO END HUNGER, AND
THEN GO FEED SOMEONE WHO IS HUNGRY. THAT IS REAL PRAYER.”
GOD WHO LIVES IN US LOVES
TO AID US WHEN WE START OUT TO DO HIS WILL. AND WE KNOW HIS WILL –
HE'S TOLD US WHAT HE WANTS MANY TIMES, THROUGH THE COMMANDMENTS,
THROUGH HIS SON, THROUGH THE CHURCH FOUNDED BY HIS SON. SOMETIMES HE
DOES SPEAK TO US DIRECTLY; BUT I THINK IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU
REALIZE THIS AFTER IT HAPPENED, NOT DURING, NOT BEFORE. AFTER ALMOST
50 YEARS OF A VERY HAPPY MARRIAGE, I KNOW THAT GOD SPOKE TO ME WHEN I
MADE A RETREAT ONE SUMMER ASKING WHAT I SHOULD DO WITH MY LIFE. I
GOT AN ANSWER, TOO, IN MY HEART. I HEARD GOD SAY TO ME, “WHATEVER
YOU DO, I WON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE THAN I ALREADY DO.” THAT MOMENT
SET ME FREE – FREE OF THE EXPECTATIONS OF MY PARENTS, MY TEACHERS,
EVEN MY SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR AT THE TIME. AND I COULD TELL YOU OF THE
TWO OR THREE OTHER TIMES GOD HAS PROBABLY SPOKEN TO ME SO LOUDLY AND
OBVIOUSLY. BUT THE POINT IS, WE KNOW HIS WILL FOR EACH OF US, AND IF
WE EMBRACE WHAT HE WANTS FOR US, AND STEP OUT AND BEGIN IT, EVEN IF
THE ODDS AGAINST SUCCESS ARE OVERWHELMING, GOD WILL WORK A MIRACLE;
HE WILL MULTIPLY WHAT WE BRING IN SOME WAY. FRANCIS NEVER KNEW HE
WAS DESTINED TO FOUND THE FRANCISCAN ORDER THAT WOULD CONTINUE TO
MAKE THE CHURCH HOLY FOR THE NEXT 800 YEARS. MOTHER THERESA DID NOT
EXPECT TO FOUND A MAJOR RELIGIOUS ORDER MORE THAN HALF-WAY THROUGH
HER LIFE. AND YOU – WHAT DOES GOD WANT FOR YOU? WHAT WILL GOD DO
FOR YOU WHEN YOU STEP OUT AND BRING YOUR FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES
TO HIM?
THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE IN
OUR OWN PARISH WHO'VE DONE SO. YOU PROBABLY KNOW ONE OR TWO OF THEM.
I WOULDN'T NAME THEM BECAUSE THEY WOULD BE EMBARRASSED, BUT YOU
DON'T HAVE TO GO TO GREAT SAINTS TO FIND GOD WORKING MIRACLES. ALL
YOU NEED TO DO IS LOOK AROUND.
DO YOU HAVE TIME TO ALLOW
GOD TO WORK A MIRACLE THROUGH YOU? WELL, THE PEOPLE WHO WORK
MIRACLES ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME. DO YOU HAVE THE RESOURCES
FOR GOD TO WORK A MIRACLE? DON'T BE SILLY. HE PROMISED THAT WHAT
YOU GAVE, HE WOULD RETURN A HUNDRED FOLD. ARE YOU HOLY ENOUGH? OF
COURSE NOT. BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP GOD. DO YOU HAVE STRONG ENOUGH
FAITH? ANDREW DIDN'T. AND PHILIP'S FAITH WASN'T EVEN ON A PAR WITH
ANDREW'S. SO THERE ARE NO EXCUSES. GOD WANTS TO USE YOU TO WORK A
MIRACLE. AND IF YOU STEP OUT AND BEGIN WHAT YOU KNOW NEEDS TO BE
DONE, YOU WILL BE SURPRISED. IF YOU DON'T, THOUGH, HE STILL CAN'T
LOVE YOU ANYMORE THAN HE DOES. BUT YOU CAN LOVE HIM MORE THAN YOU
DO. I'M CURRENTLY WRITING A SERIES OF ARTICLES IN THE BULLETIN ABOUT
THE CHARISMS. DO YOU RECOGNIZE YOURS? HOW ARE YOU USING IT ?
