18th Sunday in Ordinary Time A
Isaiah 55:1-3, Psalm 144:8-9. 15-18. Rv16, Romans 8:35. 37-39., Matthew 14:13-21
They all ate and were satisfied
Why spend money on that which is not bread.
You open wide your hand, you grant all our desires.
These are the trials by which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.
Give them something to eat yourselves.
Gospel
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
The pangs of hunger make you eat.
His master John the Baptist was the last in a long line of prophets who met a violent end. Jesus could see his own writing on the wall too. He needs to get away into the solitude of the wilderness to reflect and pray. The people, however, sense where he is going and they are there before he is. As he disembarks he sees them all – they have come because they need him. They have brought their sick and he is their only hope in a world without medicine. Jesus puts aside his own need for silence and peace. He heals their sick.
There is a secret hidden in the heart of life. How many find it?’ It is that Jesus is here and is waiting for us. He is the answer to all our needs. Like the folk that day, we need to look for him, though we know where he is. He has compassion on us today.
By evening the people were hungry. The disciples want to get rid of them and send them away. Jesus tells them to give the people food! ‘We only have enough for ourselves’ they said. ’Give me what you have.’ Everyone had enough to eat and more.
What is Jesus telling us by all this? What a difference he made that day. He healed the sick. Then with the cooperation of the disciples he fed the people in their hunger. Jesus is the one who makes a difference in our lives. He is found in ‘the solitude of the wilderness’. We must get away from the hustle and the bustle of everyday life. We need to find a place where there is silence and we can look at life, our life. We have to know Jesus – may you experience Jesus. It is when we realise our own inadequacy that we can turn to him.
This is the moment Jesus waits for - when he sees you coming to him with your brokenness, wounded by sin and begging him to heal you. Then you are open and Jesus can enter your life in a real, personal and human way. Then and only then will you begin to live. You will realize the waste of spending your time and energies searching for that which is not bread. You will experience that he is the one who fulfils your desires.
Have you experienced a sickness in your life? A hunger in your heart? Then now is the time to turn and look for Jesus. He is not far away – actually hidden in the silence of your heart. Jesus himself is the bread of your life.
Father, grant that I may realize that Jesus is the answer to all my problems and that he is found by all who seek him.
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