17th Sunday of Ordinary Time, B July 25th, 2021
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
Are you hungry? Are you willing to be hungry? Because that’s how this whole thing starts. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, the gift where God literally gives us himself… and it started with a crowd that was willing to go hungry.
Not that they said anything about being hungry. These people saw paralyzed men get up and walk, fevers disappear, leprosy wiped away by Jesus. So they followed him without cell phones and google maps. Jesus was known for walking from town to town without any schedule or itinerary released in advance. The choice was to follow him now or maybe miss the chance to see him. If you heard about a man in Baldwin who could heal Covid or a woman in Lydia that could cure cancer… would you not check it out? What if it meant skipping lunch or dinner? If it meant travelling deep into cane fields where you couldn’t drive, but had to walk for a long time? Because that’s kind of what these people did. They just up and followed him across the lake without preparation.
Are you willing to go hungry in order to encounter Jesus? One practical expression of this is the fast before communion. In order to receive communion, you are supposed to avoid eating anything for at least one hour before communion. No food. Plain water is allowed, but even chewing gum is considered breaking the fast. The reason for this is to acknowledge that communion is not ordinary food. It is a minimal way of making that difference tangible, but more is certainly possible. I encourage you to do more than the minimum. If you don’t get from going to communion, try fasting more than one hour. The hungrier you are, within reason, the more you will look forward to communion, the more you’ll tell your own body that this is something more important.
And even if more fasting isn’t what you need, examine your attitude. Is your religion a matter of convenience? If the choice was between Mass and a football game or a day of golf, which do you choose? Between driving to confession and staying home? Obviously, those things aren’t evil, but there are times when pursuing one means sacrificing the other. If people who didn’t even know who Jesus was were willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and food in order to get close to him, how much more should we be willing to face hunger, inconvenience, and even suffering to meet him in the sacraments?
When Jesus asks, “where can we buy enough food,” he’s calling attention to what they lack. Recognizing their own limitations, they resort to borrowing from a child who was apparently, the only one quick-thinking enough to grab some food for the road. Five loaves and two fish. Not enough, but Jesus asks for it anyway.
Following Jesus out of curiosity or out of habit or just for the chance to see a miracle is not enough. If we follow him, he will ask us to do what is beyond us. Do you recognize your limitations? It can be tough for anyone, especially for men, to say “I don’t have enough.” But that honesty is necessary. And, once you’ve acknowledged that insufficiency, are you willing to share what little you do have?
Why are you at Mass? Are you here as the hungry crowd? Are you like the Apostles who admit they don’t have enough? Are you like the boy who is willing to give his 5 loaves to Jesus even though it can’t possibly make a difference? When you come to Mass or confession, when you call for anointing of the sick, do you believe, really believe that it offers you something you cannot provide for yourself?
Mass is not just about what we can get, but about what we can give. Jesus could have made bread appear from thin air, but he didn’t. He asked the Apostles to give what they had. Jesus could appear right here in the flesh, but he doesn’t. He asks us to provide bread and wine. All baptized Catholics share in Jesus’ mission: Jesus is asking you, not just me, to feed the world. You don’t just watch Mass, you assist by your presence, attention, prayers, and responses. Yes, we have to first admit to God and each other how little we have to offer. But then, do not be ashamed of that offering; do not be stingy; offer the five loaves of your prayer, the two fish in the offertory; trust Jesus to multiply it.
And Jesus does multiply. No one is quite sure how, but the fish and bread just keep coming. Everyone gets as much as they need. But Jesus, the God of the universe incarnate, is not satisfied with enough. No, he prefers abundance; his multiplication goes above and beyond. He also doesn’t like waste, so they have to collect the extra: 12 wicker baskets full. The symbolism isn’t lost on the 12 apostles. This represents their job to collect the fragments of the 12 tribes of Israel, the lost members of God’s people. And those people – the ones in this field at least – are ready to be gathered… or so they think. They’re ready to make Jesus king, but they don’t yet understand what they’re asking for.
Do you let the fragments of grace go to waste? The grace given in every sacrament is abundant… it’s way too much for us to use in that single moment. For centuries, Catholics received communion maybe a few times a year, yet had enough grace to become saints. How? Because they gathered up the fragments. They didn’t run out of church to beat traffic, but stayed to pray, to give thanks, to spiritually gather up the fragments of grace and carry them in their hearts to make use of later.
Anointing of the sick provides grace throughout an entire sickness, not just at the end. Confession and penance give the grace to help us actually avoid future sin. Baptism and Confirmation provide grace for a lifetime of holiness, the “call you have received” that St. Paul mentions in the second reading. Humility, gentleness, patience… these are the virtues, the baskets that let us gather up more of the grace. Try celebrating the anniversary of your baptism and confirmation kind of like your birthday or wedding anniversary – make it an occasion to renew your commitment to become saints.
The food we eat doesn’t last, those who are healed of diseases still die eventually, but our crucified king offers something that lasts forever. Are you willing to go hungry for the Lord? Are you willing to both admit you have nothing to offer and yet to offer all you have? And when the Lord offers all the grace you need and more besides, will you be ready to receive it?