Today is the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, and we are back to seeing the color green. It is nice to see the green vestments to remind us that we are growing and maturing in our faith which the Lord always supports and guides all of us to have a closer relationship and encounter with Him. Through the scriptural readings today, we are all invited to ponder on the different spiritual insights unfolded before us.
The epistle today from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans leads our understanding that St. Paul reminds us that “all who are baptized in Christ Jesus are baptized in His death…that as Christ is risen from the dead, by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in the newness of life.” Paul is speaking with great faith that receiving baptism in Christ is something already happening, living more fully day by day and not waiting for the end of time. We clothe ourselves with God’s grace for St. Paul is speaking here in truth.
In order to comprehend what we heard from St. Paul, we must believe in the resurrection. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Jesus’ death means that he died for the sins of humanity once for all, but the life He lives is perfectly in union with God. This is not about the future; this is about the present and that the life we live in God through Jesus Christ will be our life to eternity because God wants us to be united in the joy of the Kingdom.
Some of us have difficulty understanding the concept of resurrection; but as we live, work and worship together as one body, calling nothing our own, we learn to anticipate the glory of the communion of saints in which all joys are shared. Serving others, ministering to them, gives us hope in order to reach the promise of God to abide in Him. Every act of prayer, service and love draws us closer to His divine love which points to our own resurrection.
St. Mark, the evangelist, loves to talk about the miracles of Jesus. The gospel today is about the feeding of the four thousand which is very similar to the feeding of the five thousand back in Chapter 6:30-44. Some biblical scholars think they’re the same event. This duplication of the event, most probably, is St. Mark just sending a strong message about Jesus’ miracle, which is a good story to ponder on and one for us to constantly remember, because God provides for His people repeatedly with amazing divine assistance and provisions for both physical and spiritual existence.
There are three reflection points to make from this gospel passage.
First, Jesus says, “I have compassion on the multitude.” (vv. 1-3) Jesus was very concerned for the crowd following Him as they have been with Him for three days. It means that He had shown much interest in them. There were all sorts of people, pagans and sinners, who were with Him in a deserted place to listen to His preaching. They were moved deeply within, especially for the feeding of them with much care and love by Jesus. Though they were undeserving, however Jesus’ compassion is too great for what they truly deserve. I believe they did not feel the physical hunger but that they had become hungry for God’s everlasting words. Because of their total disposition to Jesus, consequently He did a miracle of feeding them which they had not asked for. It was an awareness of their condition.
Their curiosity to see Jesus led them to listen, learn and grow. Some were probably healthy, sick, poor and only attracted to Jesus, but all these don’t matter to Christ. All that mattered to Jesus was that the crowd stayed with Him even after three days with nothing to eat. This is convincing to believe that what caught Jesus’ attention was their openness, the listening attitude of them, and the need to absorb the content of His preaching.
Second, Jesus says he has compassion for the crowd and wants to feed them The disciples answered, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” The disciples had forgotten the miracle of God when He provided Israelites with the Manna from heaven as they journeyed towards the promised land. In their hearts, it is a pure impossibility and not an opportunity for Christ to reveal His power. I guess our sins we constantly commit are our forgetfulness of Him as God. When we are confronted with doubts, it is hard to believe in God who can do something we seldom see with our own naked eyes. Why do we tend to regard Jesus as if He is just another person among many and as if He has no power to provide? Jesus was preparing a miracle for us through this Eucharist. Christ’s provision does have a transformative effect on our human existence. He directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples. Jesus uses normal things like bread and fish in order for you and me to work miracles in this world. With our hearts ablaze with the love of God, we walk in this fullness of the Spirit if we will draw closer towards the reception of the Holy Communion.
Third, Jesus fed them and they were satisfied. Scripture recorded this event in this way, “And they ate and were satisfied.” The meal that Jesus had provided was not just an ordinary meal, but it is totally and fully satisfying. It is the Bread of Heaven which was broken for us by Jesus upon the cross because Jesus fulfilled His mission to appease God’s anger to satisfy our need of forgiveness.
Our life becomes unsatisfied of so many things in this world, always craving for food, always hurting and sinning, but only Jesus’ constant nourishment and miracle gives us the fullness of life now and forever.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
