Homily for 3 August 2014: The Miracle of Sharing is not Magic
8th Sunday after Pentecost (1
Corinthians 1:10-17) (Matthew
14:14-22)
The Gospel story we read today is often
called “The Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.” In it, we hear how Jesus turned five loaves
of bread and two fishes into enough food so that 5000 men, plus women and
children, could eat and still have leftovers.
That sounds like magic!
But does Jesus do magic? No. He
shows mercy and compassion, He heals, He teaches. But He’s not a magician. He is the Son of God and He uses God’s power
of love to help God’s people.
So, let’s look more closely at what
happens in this story. The disciples say
to Jesus, “Send the people into the town to get food,” but Jesus says to them,
“There’s no need for that: you feed them.” And they reply, “But we have only five loaves
of bread and two fishes.” They were
probably thinking to themselves, “And that’s hardly enough for our supper.” Still, Jesus tells them, “Bring your loaves
and fishes to me,” and He blesses and thanks God for the food, breaks the
bread, and gives it back to the disciples to distribute. Then, St Matthew writes, “All ate and were
filled.” And there were twelve baskets
of leftovers.
That wasn’t magic! It doesn’t say Jesus turned five loaves into
5000, does it?
So what did happen?
Maybe the great miracle here is that
Jesus got people to use what they had for the good of all, instead of keeping
it for themselves. Have you ever heard
of Middle Eastern people not having enough food to share? Probably everybody there listening to Jesus
had brought something to eat: some
bread, some cheese, fruit, dried fish, almonds, and so on—like the disciples
did.
And Jesus told them to take what you
have, give thanks to God, and share it, in faith that there will be enough and
more than enough.
This is a good lesson for us in our small
community. We’re not rich; we don’t have
a big new church building; we don’t have a parish staff; we don’t have a lot of
kids in Sunday school; we don’t have a lot of families. We need a new roof; we need more
parking. We probably think that we can’t
stretch what little we have—our “loaves and fishes”—to take care of our needs
and still have leftovers, to help others or to save for emergencies.
But the miracle of the loaves and fishes
is that Jesus used the resources that the people had—even if they were not
abundant, and even though the people didn’t think they had enough to do
anything with.
We can’t come empty-handed and expect God
to give us a handout. We can’t expect
magic. But when we come together, united
in faith and purpose, as St Paul tells the Christians of Corinth, God will take
what we have and increase it and use it to provide what we need.
Of course, we’re not just talking about
food and other material needs. There’s
also spiritual and physical healing. And
everything else the church community needs:
leadership, talents for ministry (singing, reading, serving at the
altar), hospitality, teaching, works of charity, evangelization and outreach,
repairs, cleaning, gardening. And, of
course, the parish also needs money—contributions and fundraising.
We might not think we have anything to
contribute. Sometimes someone else has
to see what we have to offer—what we can bring—and show us how it can be used,
just as Jesus did with the disciples’ five loaves and two fishes.
And we need to give generously. Jesus didn’t say, “Keep some bread and fish
for yourself, then share the rest.” We
should give what we have, in faith, for the good of all—and God will ensure
that we still have enough and more.
When we bring to the Lord the resources
that we have and share them freely for the benefit of the whole community,
Jesus will work the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes here
too!
So let us always give thanks and praise
and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever
and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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