Our need to be fed

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today connect us our need to be fed.

Need to be fed

In the passage from 2 Kings, Elisha multiplies barley loaves so that many people are fed from twenty loaves.

The Letter to the Ephesians emphasizes the unity of different people through faith and community in the Body of Christ.

* [4:1–16] A general plea for unity in the church. Christians have been fashioned through the Spirit into a single harmonious religious community (one body, Eph 4:4, 12; cf. Eph 4:16), belonging to a single Lord (in contrast to the many gods of the pagan world), and by one way of salvation through faith, brought out especially by the significance of baptism (Eph 4:1–6; cf. Rom 6:1–11). But Christian unity is more than adherence to a common belief. It is manifested in the exalted Christ’s gifts to individuals to serve so as to make the community more Christlike (Eph 4:11–16). This teaching on Christ as the source of the gifts is introduced in Eph 4:8 by a citation of Ps 68:18, which depicts Yahweh triumphantly leading Israel to salvation in Jerusalem. It is here understood of Christ, ascending above all the heavens, the head of the church; through his redemptive death, resurrection, and ascension he has become the source of the church’s spiritual gifts. The “descent” of Christ (Eph 4:9–10) refers more probably to the incarnation (cf. Phil 2:6–8) than to Christ’s presence after his death in the world of the dead (cf. 1 Pt 3:19).

The account of the Multiplication of the Loaves from the Gospel of John is rich in symbolic language connecting our present needs to the faith of our ancestors and a promise of a Shepherd for all people.

* [6:1–15] This story of the multiplication of the loaves is the fourth sign (cf. note on Jn 5:1–47). It is the only miracle story found in all four gospels (occurring twice in Mark and Matthew). See notes on Mt 14:13–21; 15:32–39. John differs on the roles of Philip and Andrew, the proximity of Passover (Jn 6:4), and the allusion to Elisha (see Jn 6:9). The story here symbolizes the food that is really available through Jesus. It connotes a new exodus and has eucharistic overtones.

Mike Cherney prays today for the strength that we need to respond faithfully to those around us in times of our own pain and exhaustion.

Heavenly Father,
I know the weariness that long stretches of hard work can cause.
I am also well aware of the state of lethargy that times of despair can bring.
Thank you for the model of Your Son carrying on in hard times.
In the moments when I am tired help me to avoid criticizing and judging.
I ask for a second wind on the days when I am hurt and down.
I ask that fatigue does not displace the joy and meaning that flows from service to others.

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the connection between the multiplication of the loaves by Elisha and Jesus multiplication in the four Gospels. The account in the Gospel of John uses thanksgiving language connecting to the Eucharist. The symbols in the account of John connect to Elisha, the image of the Good Shepherd in psalm 23 and the liturgical celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that much of our life we are trying to connect the dots, to pierce the heart of reality to see what is good, true, and beautiful for us. We want something lasting and transcendent.

Jesus’ intention here that there be “only one flock” (John 10:16b), and his later prayer “that all may be one” (John 17:21-23), can be achieved only by overcoming all otherness—so Jesus speaks of the “other sheep.” The goal is never to overcome all differences, since God clearly created us different in limitless ways. Differences are not the same as otherness, or at least they need not be. Through clever metaphors such as sheep and flocks, unity and yet differentiation, Jesus resolves what is sometimes called “the first philosophical problem” of the one and the many. How does one reconcile diversity with any underlying unity? To do this, Jesus, himself, uses many metaphors, so it is difficult to say that even he has only one and completely consistent image of God—beyond love itself!

The need of the human community to connect with the mystery of God and our proper relationship with the Divine is a hunger that we pursue for our whole existence.

References
(n.d.). 2 Kings, chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 29, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/2Kings/4:42
(n.d.). Ephesians, chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 29, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/4
(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 29, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/6
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 29, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 29, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/