Matthew shows hope

The Lord is my Shepherd is the praise of the psalmist today in the text from Roman Catholic Lectionary. The 23^rd psalm contains marvelous images of life in close relationship with God. The passage today the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is apocalyptic in nature as in provides the image of the heavenly banquet on the mountain of the Lord. FriarJude Winkler comments that the different ideas of Chapters 24-27 of Isaiah point to a later author than Isaiah. This description is often used in Christian funeral liturgies where it speaks the hope that the deceased will know the fullness of restoration to God after the time of suffering during his last days. Friar Jude sees the episode of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes in the Gospel of Matthew as the fulfillment of the hope presented in Isaiah. Jesus invites all nations to the mountain which is in pagan territory. His Presence is restorative. The blind see, the lame walk and the deaf hear. We become fully alive as His followers. Friar Jude touches on the significance of the number of loaves and the difference in the number of baskets of leftovers when Jesus audience is mostly pagan and when it is Jewish. The message of the abundance of food for everyone is clear. This is true today in both the spiritual and material sense even as people hunger for nourishment and peace. The resources for bringing healing and health are here. Our reluctance to obey and sit and share with others keeps the celebration of the feast on the mountain of God in our hopes rather than in our experience.