Bread Left Over
Today’s liturgy brings together several strands of Old Testament expectation to reveal Jesus as Israel’s promised Messiah and king, the Lord who comes to feed His people.
Notice the parallels between today’s Gospel and First Reading. Both Elisha and Jesus face a crowd of hungry people with only a few “barley” loaves. We hear similar words about how impossible it will be to feed the crowd with so little. And in both the miraculous multiplication of bread satisfies the hungry and leaves food left over.
The Elisha story looks back to Moses, the prophet who fed God’s people in the wilderness (see Exodus 16). Moses prophesied that God would send a prophet like him (see Deuteronomy 18:15-19). The crowd in today’s Gospel, witnessing His miracle, identifies Jesus as that prophet.
The Gospel today again shows Jesus to be the Lord, the good shepherd, who makes His people lie down on green grass and spreads a table before them (see Psalm 23:1,5).
The miraculous feeding is a sign that God has begun to fulfill His promise, which we sing of in today’s Psalm—to give His people food in due season and satisfy their desire (see Psalm 81:17).
But Jesus points to the final fulfillment of that promise in the Eucharist. He does the same things He does at the Last Supper—He takes the loaves, pronounces a blessing of thanksgiving (literally, “eucharist”), and gives the bread to the people (see Matthew 26:26). Notice, too, that 12 baskets of bread are left over, one for each of the apostles.
These are signs that should point us to the Eucharist—in which the Church founded on the apostles continues to feed us with the living bread of His body.
In this Eucharist, we are made one body with the Lord, as we hear in today’s Epistle. Let us resolve again, then, to live lives worthy of such a great calling.
St. Hilary of Poitiers
Commentary on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, 14, 11
The disciples say that they have only five loaves and two fish. The five loaves signified that they were still subject to the five books of the Law and the two fish that they were fed by the teachings of the prophets and John the Baptist… This was what the apostles had to offer to begin with since this was the point they were at; and it was from this point that the preaching of the Gospel began…
Our Lord took the loaves and the fish. He raised his eyes to heaven, said the blessing and broke them. He gave thanks to the Father because the Good News was being changed into food after centuries of the Law and the prophets…
The loaves were then given to the apostles: it was at their hands that the gifts of divine grace were to be handed out. Then the people were fed with the five loaves and two fish and, when those who were invited were satisfied, the leftovers of bread and fish were so plentiful that twelve baskets were filled with them.
What this means is that the crowd was filled with God’s word coming from the teaching of the Law and the prophets. But it is an abundance of divine power, kept aside for the gentiles, that overflows after the provision of the food that lasts forever. It comes to its full complement, that of the number twelve, the same as the number of the apostles. Now, it happens that the number of those who ate is the same as that of those who would come to believe: five thousand men (Mt 14,21; Acts 4,4).
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus Address, July 26, 2009
Today, on this splendid Sunday, as the Lord shows us all the beauty of his Creation, the liturgy provides us with the Gospel passage at the beginning of Chapter Six of John’s Gospel.
It contains, first of all, the miracle of the loaves – when Jesus fed thousands of people with only five loaves of bread and two fish; then, the Lord’s miracle when he walks on the waters of the lake during a storm; and finally, the discourse in which he reveals himself as “the Bread of Life”. In recounting the “sign” of bread, the Evangelist emphasizes that Christ, before distributing the food, blessed it with a prayer of thanksgiving (cf. v. 11).
The Greek term used is eucharistein and it refers directly to the Last Supper, though, in fact, John refers here not to the institution of the Eucharist but to the washing of the feet. The Eucharist is mentioned here in anticipation of the great symbol of the Bread of Life.
In this Year for Priests, how can we fail to recall that we priests, especially, may see ourselves reflected in this Johannine text, identifying ourselves with the Apostles when they say: Where can we find bread for all these people? Reading about that unknown boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, we too spontaneously say: But what are they for such a multitude? In other words: Who am I? How can I, with my limitations, help Jesus in his mission? And the Lord gives the answer: By taking in his “holy and venerable” hands the little that they are, priests, we priests, become instruments of salvation for many, for everyone!
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus Address Castel Gandolfo, Sunday, 29 July 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This Sunday we began by reading Chapter six of John’s Gospel. The chapter opens with the scene of the multiplication of the loaves, which Jesus later comments on in the Synagogue of Capernaum, pointing to himself as the “bread” which gives life. Jesus’ actions are on a par with those of the Last Supper. He “took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated”, the Gospel says (Jn 6:11). The insistence on the topic of “bread”, which is shared out, and on thanksgiving (v. 11, in Greek eucharistesas), recall the Eucharist, Christ’s sacrifice for the world’s salvation.
The Evangelist observes that the Feast of the Passover is already at hand (cf. v. 4). His gaze is turned to the Cross, the gift of love, and to the Eucharist, the perpetuation of this gift: Christ makes himself the Bread of Life for humankind. St Augustine comments: “Who is the Bread of heaven, but Christ? But in order that man might eat Angels’ Bread, the Lord of Angels was made Man. For if he had not been made Man, we should not have his Flesh; if we had not his Flesh, we should not eat the Bread of the Altar” (Sermon 130, 2). The Eucharist is the human being’s ongoing, important encounter with God in which the Lord makes himself our food and gives himself to transform us into him.
A boy’s presence is also mentioned in the scene of the multiplication. On perceiving the problem of of feeding so many hungry people, he shared the little he had brought with him: five loaves and two fish (cf. Jn 6:9). The miracle was not worked from nothing, but from a first modest sharing of what a simple lad had brought with him. Jesus does not ask us for what we do not have. Rather, he makes us see that if each person offers the little he has the miracle can always be repeated: God is capable of multiplying our small acts of love and making us share in his gift.
The crowd was impressed by the miracle: it sees in Jesus the new Moses, worthy of power, and in the new manna, the future guaranteed. However the people stopped at the material element, which they had eaten, and the Lord “perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,… withdrew again to the hills by himself” (Jn 6:15). Jesus is not an earthly king who exercises dominion but a king who serves, who stoops down to human beings not only to satisfy their physical hunger, but above all their deeper hunger, the hunger for guidance, meaning and truth, the hunger for God.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask the Lord to enable us to rediscover the importance of feeding ourselves not only on bread but also on truth, on love, on Christ, on Christ’s Body, taking part faithfully and with profound awareness in the Eucharist so as to be ever more closely united with him. Indeed, “It is not the Eucharistic food that is changed into us, but rather we who are mysteriously transformed by it. Christ nourishes us by uniting us to himself; “he draws us into himself” (Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 70).
Let us pray at the same time that the bread necessary for a dignified life may never be lacking and that inequalities may be demolished, not with the weapons of violence but rather with sharing and with love.
Let us entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary, as we invoke her motherly intercession upon ourselves and upon our loved ones.
After the Angelus:
I am continuing to follow with apprehension the tragic and increasing episodes of violence in Syria with the distressing sequence of deaths and people injured, even among the civilians, and an enormous number of internal evacuees and of refugees in the neighbouring countries. For this reason I ask that the necessary humanitarian aid and solidary help be guaranteed. As I renew my closeness to the suffering population and my remembrance in prayer, I also renew a pressing appeal for the end of every form of violence and bloodshed. I ask God for wisdom of heart, especially for those who have greater responsibilities, so that no effort be spared in the quest for peace, also on the part of the international community, through dialogue and reconciliation, with a view to an appropriate political solution to the conflict. My thoughts also turn to the beloved Iraqi nation, recently struck by a number of serious attacks that have reaped a heavy toll of victims and injured. May this great country find the way to stability, reconciliation and peace.
The 28th World Youth Day will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a year’s time, in this same period. It is a precious opportunity for a great many young people to experience the joy and beauty of belonging to the Church and of living the faith. I am looking forward to this event with hope and I want to encourage and thank the organizers — especially the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro — who are involved in preparations to welcome the youth from across the world who will take part in this important ecclesial meeting.
I am following with concern the news concerning the ILVA plant in Taranto and wish to express my closeness to the workers and their families who are going through these difficult moments with apprehension. As I assure them of my prayers and of the support of the Church, I urge everyone to have a sense of responsibility and I encourage the national and local institutions to make every possible effort to achieve a just solution to the issue to protect the rights to health care and to work, especially in these times of financial crisis.
I greet all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Angelus prayer. In the Gospel this morning, Our Lord miraculously offers food to the crowds, leaving a sign of God’s immeasurable providence in the Eucharist. Strengthened by that Sacrifice, may we always work for the spiritual nourishment of our brethren, not forgetting the poor and needy. God bless you and your loved ones!
Lastly, I remind you that today “the Peach Festival” is being celebrated here in Castel Gandolfo. I wish this traditional event that involves the cooperation of the Municipal Administration, of the Parish and of all the inhabitants every success. I also wish everyone a good Sunday and a good week.
Thank you. Have a good Sunday.
Pope Francis
Angelus Address: Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday 26 July 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning.
This Sunday’s Gospel presents the great sign of the multiplication of the loaves, in the account of John the Evangelist (6:1-15). Jesus is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and is surrounded by “a multitude”, who were attracted by “the signs which he did on those who were diseased” (v. 2). Acting in Him is the merciful power of God, who heals every evil of the body and spirit. But Jesus is not only healer, he is also teacher: indeed, he goes up into the hills and sits, with the typical attitude of a teacher when he teaches: he goes up to that natural “pulpit” created by his Heavenly Father. At this point Jesus, who fully understands what he is about to do, puts his disciples to the test. How can they feed all these people? Philip, one of the Twelve, quickly calculates: by taking up a collection, they might collect 200 denarii at most, which would not be enough to feed 5,000 people.
The disciples reason in “marketing” terms, but Jesus substitutes the logic of buying with another logic, the logic of giving. It is here that Andrew, one of the Apostles, the brother of Simon Peter, presents a young lad who offers everything he has: five loaves and two fish; but of course, Andrew says, they are nothing for that multitude (cf. v. 9). Jesus actually expecting this. He orders the disciples to make the people sit down, then he takes those loaves and those fish, gives thanks to the Father and distributes them (cf. v. 11). These acts prefigure the Last Supper, which gives the bread of Jesus its truest significance. The bread of God is Jesus Himself. By receiving Him in Communion, we receive his life within us and we become children of the Heavenly Father and brothers among ourselves. By receiving communion we meet Jesus truly living and risen! Taking part in the Eucharist means entering into the logic of Jesus, the logic of giving freely, of sharing. And as poor as we are, we all have something to give. “To receive Communion” means to draw from Christ the grace which enables us to share with others all we are and all we have.
The crowd is struck by the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves; but the gift Jesus offers is the fullness of life for a hungering mankind. Jesus satiates not only material hunger, but the most profound one, the hunger for the meaning of life, the hunger for God. Before the suffering, loneliness, poverty and difficulties of so many people, what can we ourselves do? Complaining doesn’t resolve anything, but we can offer the little that we have, like the lad in the Gospel. We surely have a few hours of time, certain talents, some skills…. Who among us doesn’t have “five loaves and two fish” of his own? We all have them! If we are willing to place them in the Lord’s hands, they will be enough to bring about a little more love, peace, justice and especially joy in the world. How necessary joy is in the world! God is capable of multiplying our small acts of solidarity and allowing us to share in his gift.
May our prayer sustain the common commitment that no one may lack the heavenly Bread which gives eternal life and the basic necessities for a dignified life, and may it affirm the logic of sharing and love. May the Virgin Mary accompany us with her maternal intercession.
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, today registration opens for the 31st World Youth Day, which will be held next year in Poland. I wanted to open the enrolment personally and for this reason I asked a girl and a boy to stand next to me, so they would be with me at the moment that the registration opens, here before you. There, on this electronic device I have now enrolled in the Day as a pilgrim. Being celebrated during the Year of Mercy, this Day will be, in a certain sense, a jubilee of youth, called to reflect on the theme “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). I invite the young people of the world to experience this pilgrimage either by going to Krakow, or by taking part in this moment of grace in their own communities.
In a few days it will be the second anniversary of the abduction of Fr Paolo Dall’Oglio in Syria. I address an earnest and urgent appeal for the release of this esteemed religious man. I cannot forget the Orthodox Bishops also abducted in Syria and all the other people who have been seized in areas of conflict. I hope for the renewed commitment of the competent local and international Authorities, in order that freedom may soon be restored to these brothers of ours. With affection and joining in their suffering, we wish to remember them in prayer. Let us all pray together to Our Lady: Hail Mary….
I greet all of you, pilgrims from Italy and from other countries. I greet the international pilgrimage of the Sisters of St Felix, the faithful of Salamanca, the youth of Brescia who are performing service to the poor at the Caritas of Rome’s soup kitchen, and the young people from Ponte San Giovanni, Perugia.
Today, 26 July, the Church remembers Sts Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and thus, Jesus’ grandparents. On this occasion, I would like to greet all grandmothers and grandfathers, thanking them for their valuable presence in families and for the new generations. For all grandparents who are living, but also for those who are watching us from Heaven, let’s salute them with a round of applause….
I wish everyone a happy Sunday. Please do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch. Arrivederci!
