Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time, August 5, 2024

Gospel

Mt 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,"This is a deserted place and it is already late;dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villagesand buy food for themselves."He said to them, "There is no need for them to go away;give them some food yourselves."But they said to him,"Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."Then he said, "Bring them here to me,"and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,he said the blessing, broke the loaves,and gave them to the disciples,who in turn gave them to the crowds.They all ate and were satisfied,and they picked up the fragments left over–twelve wicker baskets full.Those who ate were about five thousand men,not counting women and children.

Reflection

When I read this Gospel passage, it was a familiar scene to me of Jesus feeding the multitude. However, I didn't realize the context in which this miracle occurred. This took place after Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, to which He then withdrew to a deserted place to mourn. I found myself confused as to why the crowds, upon hearing about Jesus' retreat, followed Him to this isolated location. Usually if someone retreats to a remote place after getting heartbreaking news it would entail that they wish to be alone. Because of this one might expect Jesus to be upset or frustrated at being pursued during a time of personal grief. Yet, His immediate response was pity for the people and He began to heal their sick. When the disciples later suggested dismissing the crowd so they could buy food in nearby villages Jesus' reply was this, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves". Despite the disciples' limited resources (only five loaves and two fish) Jesus performed a miracle, transforming scarcity into abundance. He blessed the food, broke the loaves, and distributed them through His disciples, ultimately feeding over five thousand people. When I read this I imagined the Last Supper, where Jesus would again break bread, this time instituting the Eucharist. Just as He provided physical sustenance to the crowd, He offers spiritual nourishment to His disciples and to us through the Eucharist.