He answers all our needs
The miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand is an expression of an idea that runs through the whole of the Bible: that God provides, and does so in abundance; through God, all needs are met.
In the Garden of Eden, all of Adam and Eve's needs were met, and it was good. It was only when they took for themselves what was forbidden that Adam and Eve were cast out.
Abraham offers what he has to God: first, food, drink and hospitality, then later his son. Because he was willing to return what he had received, God rewards him with the promise of an abundance of descendants.
When He led the Israelites through the desert, God provided mana, bread from heaven, and there was more than enough for everyone. However, when they tried to hoard it for tomorrow, it rotted.
In the first reading today, the prophet Elisha feeds a hundred men with only a small offering of the first fruits. The offering had been given to him, yet he chose to feed others instead. In this way, God provided plenty for all, with some leftover.
When we don't hold on to what we have, but offer it back to God, incredible things happen. In the Gospel according to John, the little boy, who was the only one to remember his lunch, would have been well within his rights to refuse the disciples, or to run off and wolf it down in secret. Yet, because of his generosity and his willingness to be hungry with everyone else, five thousand people were fed by Jesus. He didn’t just provide enough, Jesus provided an abundance.
This is what God does for us every day; the multiplication of food is an everyday miracle. Only, we may not notice the miraculous nature of this as, for us, it is spread over a longer period of time than in today’s readings. Given time, two fish really do become enough to feed a multitude; the few seeds you may choose to grind for five small loaves, with sun, rain and seasons, will be enough for a thousand loaves. God's creation produces and reproduces everything we could ever need. When we work with God, with the environment and with each other, no one needs to go without.
When we say Grace before we eat, we acknowledge the abundance of Creation, and give thanks to God for all the goodness we receive. Let us also remember to offer ourselves to Him in return.
Today's Readings: 2 Kings 4:42-44 Psalm 145 Eph 4:1-6 John 6:1-15
Source: Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
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