They Were Satisfied

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, July 28, 2024:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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John
​6.1-15

Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.

When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Jesus, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.

Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.

When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

​In today’s Gospel reading about the loaves and fishes there are so many things that could draw our attention. It’s not only an incredible story and an impressive miracle, it’s a beautiful narrative that highlights so many aspects of who we are as humans, and who Christ wants to be for us. Some of the things I like to look at (which we can all do with some spare time!) are: 

The geography in this story – where does Jesus move, and when? Why? 

The mention of the timing of this episode before Passover is also interesting – what does that tell us about the meaning of this miracle? 

I love noticing the characters in this scene and what they all do – of course Jesus, but Philip says some things, Andrew is a central figure, there is mention of Simon, and the huge crowd also plays a role. How does all of this sit with you? 

Today my meditation on this passage has me narrowing in one just one line: “[they were given] as much as they wanted… [and] they were satisfied.”

Maybe it strikes me because I’m so aware of this tendency in myself and my fellow humans to always be cowering in the fear of scarcity. I haven’t personally experienced seasons of my life in which material needs like food, water, and shelter were truly scarce, but so many of our brothers and sisters in the world experience this every day. My heart moves to the father or mother of a family who genuinely does not know if they will be able to put food on the table in another day or month, or to stay in the apartment they increasingly cannot afford. I count myself among the poor in many ways, but this aspect of destitute material poverty I haven’t yet been graced to embrace. 

The scarcity I am thinking of is one of emotional, spiritual, or social resources: Lord, when we have been following You this whole day, to the point of being out in the middle of some field with no food and water, will You provide for us? When my life throws challenges my way that I did not foresee, Lord, will You provide the help I need to get through it? When a friend or a part of my support system is taken away, by death or some other circumstance, Lord, will You provide me with what I need? If at times even my prayer life feels like a desert where barrenness pervades the dusty Earth of my passion for you, when faith is blind and groping in the dark, Lord, will You provide? 

Our God is a God of providence. All of the Earth is His. He is sovereign over every blade of grass and stalk of wheat and fish in the sea. He is also the King of Kings, and His kingdom is among us in our human communities and relationships, broken as they are. 

I take comfort in our fellow human brothers and sisters who were in that scene with Jesus 2000+ years ago. If there were ever a group of people who thought that their immediate needs were almost certainly not going to be provided for, it might have been the crowd of thousands of hungry people who had only five loaves of bread and two measly fish. How was their trust in Jesus rewarded? We can almost hear them witnessing to us: “[We were given] as much as we wanted… [and] we were satisfied!”




Sister Angela Burnham

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