keep the peace
Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in
love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond
of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to
one hope when you were called. – Ephesians 4: 2-4
Sixty
leaders of various committees from different provinces gathered the day
before the celebration of the feast of the Blessed Mother. Final
instructions were being given as well as food and gasoline allowances.
That’s when the trouble began. What started as a peaceful meeting
suddenly became an unruly crowd. People began to murmur and complain why
others were getting more than them.
The
overall coordinator stood up on stage, waiting for the noise to die
down. When the room was still, he spoke softly, quoting the verse above.
It
took a few seconds before the miracle happened. Then people stood up,
clapped their hands vigorously and started hugging one another as they
cried and laughed at the same time.
Words
from an ordinary man would not have pacified their spirits but the
words of God brought them back together, instilled peace and united them
in their call to serve. Chelle Crisanto (ellehcmaria@yahoo.com)
29
REFLECTION:
“Church
isn’t a building. Church is what you do. Church is who you are. Church
is the human outworking of the person of Jesus Christ. Let’s not go to
Church, let’s be the Church.” (Bridget Willard)
Lord, let me be Your instrument of unity.
St. Martha, pray for us.
----------
1ST READING
Miracles
such as this can not be explained scientifically. What is important
here is not the miracle itself but what it indicates about both the one
who performs it and the God who empowers it. God chooses to intervene in
human history every now and then to remind us that He is present in our
lives and to call us to deeper conversion to Him.
2 Kings 4:42-44
42 A
man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of God twenty
barely loaves made from the firstfruits, and fresh grain in the ear.
Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.” 43 But
his servant objected, “How can I set this before a hundred people?”
Elisha insisted, “Give it to the people to eat.” For thus says the Lord,
‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’” 44 And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the Lord had said.
P S A L M
Psalm 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
R: The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
10 Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you. 11 Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might. (R) 15 The eyes of all look hopefully to you, and you give them their food in due season; 16 you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (R) 17 The Lord is just in all his ways and holy in all his works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. (R)
2ND READING
Paul
uses the language of ”complete selflessness.“ This is indeed a great
challenge to us who are more self-focused than otherwise. The Gospels
are quite clear that to enter into heaven, we have to learn to die to
our own desires and be fully surrendered to God’s will. In obedience to
God’s will, we will discover the fullness of life. It may take time for
us to realize this truth.
Ephesians 4:1-6
1 Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, 3 striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: 4 one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
GOSPEL
The
feeding miracle precedes the Eucharistic discourse in John’s Gospel.
Perhaps John is trying to tell us that just as food nourishes us
physically, it is the Eucharist and the things of the Spirit that
nourish our souls. I wonder if we really believe this? If we do not, we
will find it next to impossible to understand the central role of the
Eucharist in our lives.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
A great prophet has risen in our midst. God has visited his people.
John 6:1-15
1 Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. 2 A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish feast of Passover was near. 5 When
Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he
said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” 10 Jesus
said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in
that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 11 Then
Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who
were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. 12 When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So
they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. 14 When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” 15 Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
think: It is the Eucharist and the things of the Spirit that nourish our souls.
-----------
THE MIRACLE OF THE BAON
People
wanted to follow Jesus even if they had to cross deserts and mountains,
even if they would go hungry. But Jesus proves to be more realistic
than them. They would go hungry — definitely. Thus, the miracle. But
behind the miracle is a boy who had five barley loaves and two fish. He
brought provisions for himself. It seems odd that a mere child knew what
to do while many other people, older than him, forgot about their needs
for such long journeys and stints with Jesus.
We
see another simple miracle here: a boy who was ready to let go of his
own bread and fish so that others may not go hungry. Surely, he must
have been listening to Jesus and lived His teaching. The miracle needed
to start somewhere, somehow, from somebody who had bread and fish. I
don’t know how the Apostles convinced the child to give all that he had
at the moment. But I’m sure he happily did it with the disposition of a
child. Jesus has always been fascinated by children. They’re pure and
simple, kindhearted, selfless, obedient, faithful, trusting.
He believed that he could part from his baon (packed
meal) knowing that Jesus will provide for him. It took a young, simple
and selfless individual like him for a great miracle to happen. His
selflessness and willingness to share is a miracle in itself. Not all
people would do the same.
And
it happened. About five thousand got their fill of bread and fish. It
must have been one great picnic. And when they gathered the leftover, 12
wicker baskets of fragments were collected. Jesus gave them more than
they needed. His love is simply overflowing — just like what happened in
the days of Elisha when a hundred people were fed and some leftovers
were collected. God’s generosity remains the same yesterday, today and
forever.
Today,
we remember the great miracle performed by Jesus and overflowing
generosity and sensitivity to our needs. We also remember the boy who
shared his own bread and fish. We don’t know his name, but we hope to
find him in our midst — today. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, SFO
REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you willing to share whatever you have for the sake of the greater good?
Lord, help me to discover the joy of sharing and giving.
No comments:
Post a Comment