This Sunday’s Feast is The Body and Blood of Christ. We would like to celebrate this feast on Holy Thursday. I guess the proximity to Good Friday warrants the change.
It has always amazed me that the readings for the Feast are the Gospel narratives of the Loaves and fishes. It has not been easy for me to connect the Eucharist and the Loaves and Fishes. Many of the Fathers of the church made this connection, as does John in Chapter 6 of his Gospel. We know the word EUCHARIST is in each of the four accounts of these miracles. The word is Jesus said the blessing, gave thanks. This word is part of Catholic culture. Eucharist means to give thanks.
The crowd is huge. It is getting late. Jesus knows what he is going to do. Yet He asks the disciples for ideas. The answers can be summarised in two: we haven’t got the time and we haven’t got the money!!!!!! (Sounds like the Parish Council!!) What does Jesus say. What have you got? (5 loaves and 2 Fishes). Give them to me. Then He takes them and gives thanks and blesses them and gives them to his disciples who distribute them to the crowds and much is left over. This is our model for the Holy Mass. There is a time at Mass for praying for our needs (the Prayer of the Faithful) but the Eucharist is a time for placing in the hands of Jesus the little that we have. We never have enough. We always need more of spiritual things and material things. But the miracle of the loaves and fishes remind us how to pray for the impossible. We are called to bring the little we have of faith and hope and love and material blessings and place them on the Altar into the hands of Jesus.
The Miracle happened in the hands of Jesus. That is where all miracles happen. Time and money will not solve the big needs. In the Mass bring to Jesus the little that you have.
That is why there will be baskets full of leftovers.
It has always amazed me that the readings for the Feast are the Gospel narratives of the Loaves and fishes. It has not been easy for me to connect the Eucharist and the Loaves and Fishes. Many of the Fathers of the church made this connection, as does John in Chapter 6 of his Gospel. We know the word EUCHARIST is in each of the four accounts of these miracles. The word is Jesus said the blessing, gave thanks. This word is part of Catholic culture. Eucharist means to give thanks.
The crowd is huge. It is getting late. Jesus knows what he is going to do. Yet He asks the disciples for ideas. The answers can be summarised in two: we haven’t got the time and we haven’t got the money!!!!!! (Sounds like the Parish Council!!) What does Jesus say. What have you got? (5 loaves and 2 Fishes). Give them to me. Then He takes them and gives thanks and blesses them and gives them to his disciples who distribute them to the crowds and much is left over. This is our model for the Holy Mass. There is a time at Mass for praying for our needs (the Prayer of the Faithful) but the Eucharist is a time for placing in the hands of Jesus the little that we have. We never have enough. We always need more of spiritual things and material things. But the miracle of the loaves and fishes remind us how to pray for the impossible. We are called to bring the little we have of faith and hope and love and material blessings and place them on the Altar into the hands of Jesus.
The Miracle happened in the hands of Jesus. That is where all miracles happen. Time and money will not solve the big needs. In the Mass bring to Jesus the little that you have.
That is why there will be baskets full of leftovers.
RSS Feed