Word to the Wise
Friday, April 28, 2017 - 2nd Week of Easter - Fri
[Acts 5:34-42 and John 6:1-15]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. [John]
The multiplication of the loaves and fishes is an event that appears in all four of the gospel portraits of Jesus. However, the Gospel According to John in typical fashion, puts a different "spin" on it. Jesus is not simply responding to a perceived need and we are told that he knew exactly what he was going to do (typical again of John's portrait). In the accounts of this event in the other three gospels, Jesus hands the loaves and fishes to the disciples to distribute. In John's account, he distributes them himself! With 5,000 men in attendance, one is left to imagine how he managed that, but this gospel is not concerned. The focus is on Jesus' sign and on the misunderstanding of the crowd who want to exalt him as a prophetic/political figure. This "sign" also serves as the platform for teaching about Jesus as the living bread later on in the chapter.
In Easter time, the focus is on the resurrection of Jesus and on faith in him as the one whom God has sent. The appearance of this sign in the liturgical scripture calls our attention to the continued presence of the Risen Lord in our midst in the form of the Eucharistic bread. (The fish make one more appearance in John at the end in chapter 21.) Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we "proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection, until you come again." Millions of Catholics do this every day. The sign performed by the Sea of Galilee is now global! AMEN
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