Feeding the thousands

Most Catholics habitually picture the Church as a pyramid: hierarchy on top, laity on the bottom. Though Scripture scholars, historians, theologians and the bishops of Vatican II have tried to give us a different picture, old habits are hard to break.

Those who study both the historical Jesus and the faith writings of His early followers notice the ground-breaking equality and empowerment which continually flow through our Christian Scriptures. We especially hear these insights in the Gospel (Mt 14: 13-21).

But before we go there, let's look at Is 55: 1-3. It doesn't need much exegesis. Yahweh's words are clear: "All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come without paying, without cost....Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy?...Come to me, that you may have life."

Anything anyone could ever want, Yahweh offers. And best of all, it's free. "Stuff" we pay for never brings life. Only God can give that.

It's no surprise that Jesus' earliest disciples applied the same concept to Him. "What will separate us from the love of Christ?" Paul asks (Rom 8: 35, 37-39). "Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through Him who loved us."

In the midst of tensions which could make our existence a hell on earth, faith in Jesus brings us real, fulfilling life. But how does that life touch our lives; how do we access the free stuff?

It's time now for the Gospel. Listen carefully. You might hear something you've never heard before.

The message Matthew is trying to convey revolves around the dialogue between Jesus and His disciples. Their exchange doesn't just set the stage for Jesus to miraculously feed thousands of people. It actually tells us that Jesus doesn't feed anyone; his disciples do.

The disciples are logical: "Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." In other words, "We can't take care of them."

Jesus is illogical: "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." In other words, "Why should they buy what you can give them free?" He won't take their excuse that they have only "five loaves and two fish." He commands, "Bring them here to me!"

He then blesses and breaks the loaves, gives them to His disciples, who, in turn, give them to the crowd. Notice that Jesus doesn't multiply the disciples' food, then have them distribute the new, huge amount to the people. He simply tells them to share what little they brought.

To their amazement, "all ate and were satisfied." They didn't pay a cent! With Jesus' blessing, His small band of followers fed thousands.

That's how the early Christians believed we tap into the free stuff. They were convinced that everything we need to experience a fulfilling life is already here, in the gifts and talents of the people around us. They simply have to be encouraged to share, even at those times when they think they have nothing to offer.

Whatever we offer through Jesus will have a life-giving effect on those who receive it. Maybe because we were trained to be "fed" only by the clergy, we expect Jesus to do the feeding in the Gospel.

We should never read these three readings apart from one another. Because Jesus' first followers had a different picture of Church than we have, they would have always seen an essential relationship among them.

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