Though I awake hungry each morning, I no longer have the voracious appetite I once had as a child or younger man when it comes to sustenance. What I do hunger for is more knowledge, wisdom, understanding and spirituality for my mind and soul to cope with a world that has so many needs on both a personal level and in areas of social justice.
St. John’s Gospel and our first reading from the Second Book of Kings, provides us with an insight of how to handle both. Each takes care of the immediate needs of feeding those who are hungry and saving fragments so we continue to be fed no matter what our life situation. It is not based on logic, pragmatism or self-satisfaction, but on thanksgiving for God’s abundant and eternal generosity. We are fed by “the hand of the Lord,” and in him alone “all our needs” are answered as our Psalm refrain repeats.
It is in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians we begin to realize our calling to a living faith in Christ as one in the Spirit of the Lord. It is what binds us together, gives us hope that God’s kingdom will bring us eternal happiness and commits us to trust in God’s love and care for us. In addition, by our Baptism we become brothers and sisters in one caring community of family and fellowship.
Those who are fully initiated Catholics are especially blessed in the United States, because we can receive daily the Bread of Life (Eucharist) at either Mass or in it being brought to us if we are unable to attend. It is God’s constant reminder to us that Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to open the gates of heaven so we can have eternal life, feeds us both physically and spiritually. By sharing in this meal, we are united to God and people throughout the world and throughout time.
Jesus’ message is one of taking care of His people. We, likewise, need to incorporate this all into practical ways of reaching out to others. We need to adapt our heart to understand the needs of others, to be generous in giving, to be grateful to God for all that we have been given, to not waste food that can be used to feed others and to always put ourselves and what we have in God’s hands to provide for all.
Let us take this week to look into our heart, mind and soul to both solidify the parts in which we are reaching out and/or refine and strengthen those areas we need to improve upon to provide sacred food to those in need. In doing so, we will grow in our faith and offer to others a piece of God’s love as taught to us as disciples who practice what we learn and practice in trust.
Reading 1: Second Kings 4: 42-44
Reading 2: Ephesians 4: 1-6
Gospel: John 6: 1-15
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