Our spiritual life is not just about our personal piety; our spiritual life is to be lived in the service of people in need.

 

 

Eighteenth Sunday in OT A 2020

 

Thus says the Lord:  All you who are thirsty, come to the water!  This beautiful verse from the 55^th chapter of the prophet Isaiah is the invitation that all are welcome to the blessings of salvation.  God calls each of us to come as we are – not as we wish we were or who we hope to be one day – but as we truly are.  God calls out “All you who are thirsty, come to the water.”  In Christ there is enough for all and enough for each.

The Scriptures today speak of the boundless generosity of God.  God gives freely and God gives us in extravagant measure.  In God’s eyes, there is no such thing as essential workers and non-essential.  In God’s eyes, we are all essential and very much loved.

“Come to the water!”  We each received this invitation from the Lord on the day of our baptism when we were brought to the baptismal water to quench our spiritual thirst for God.  We received the life and the love of Jesus in the Sacrament of Baptism.

The grace of baptism for each one of us is lifelong.  As we are spiritually thirsty, the invitation is for us to come to the waters of our Baptismal life in Christ.

Today’s Gospel is such an important lesson in understanding the baptismal mission that has been given to us.

In the Gospel, we read: “When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, ‘This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so 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.’”

 The disciples voiced a hurried, desperate uneasiness.  “Master, send these people away.”  We can’t deal with it.  Jesus looks at his disciples, knowing their blood pressure is up and their patience is down and says: “This is not a problem.  They don’t need to go away.  Just handle it.”

As we reflect upon this passage, we need to know that our spiritual life is not just about personal piety; our spiritual life is to be lived in the service of people in need.  This is how Jesus lived.  This is how the disciples of Jesus are to live.  Our call is a call to service.  It doesn’t mean we have all the answers, but it does mean we are to offer our loving support and service to one another.  It does mean that in Christ Jesus we are brothers and sisters to one another.

The baptismal mission given to us on the day of our baptism is that we are to share in the mission of Jesus.  The first requirement of the disciples of Jesus is to love and serve one another.  This is the clear message of Jesus to the first disciples.  Equally, it the clear message of Jesus to us that we too are called to love and to serve as the first requirement of our discipleship.

Perhaps we can identify with the disciples in today’s Gospel.  Feeding 5,000 would be a large task for most of us.  Are some problems too big to handle?  How do you look at “insurmountable” tasks in your own life? 

For example, how about dealing with this pandemic crisis?  Who of us is not getting a little weary dealing with this deadly virus and would like to return to our normal life?  In our saner moments, we know we need to continue to be vigilant in providing for our health and the health of others.  Mask wearing needs to be a way of life for us during these days.

Dealing with this crisis is like trying to feed five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish.  It seems like an impossible task left to our own devices.  Yes, we need the healing grace of God for our hurting planet.  We need to be people of prayer who trust that Jesus is present to us during these days of the pandemic.  May the miracle we seek come to us through our vigilance that we exercise in following necessary safety protocols and giving the needed support to our medical personnel as they seek to develop a vaccine to this deadly virus.  Miracles happen when we are our best selves. 

 

The miracle of feeding the five thousand with five loaves of bread is a forerunner to Jesus feeding us with the Bread of Life in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.  We ask ourselves what food doesn’t satisfy us on our deepest levels and what is the food that satisfies the deepest hungers of our lives?   As the first Scripture reading invites all who are thirsty, come to the waters, to come to the waters of Baptism.  The Gospel miracle of the feeding of the five thousand invites us to the mystery of the Eucharist in which the bread Christ offers stills the deepest hunger of all, and the life that Christ gives conquers all death.

 St Augustine would often end Mass by saying to his people: “Be what you eat.”  As we receive the Eucharist today –whether that be with spiritual communion or receiving the Body of Christ here in Church -- may we be that loving and caring presence of Christ in our world today.  May we be motivated by a joyful gratitude for what we already have and by a constant concern for the needs and concerns of others.  May we attend not only to our own hungers but to the hungers of those in our world who suffer with empty stomachs, aching hearts and lonely spirits constantly crying out for help. 

Think of the need that people all around you have for a personal encounter with the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, opening the way for them to have a place at the table of the eucharistic banquet of the Lord.  In terms of the words of Pope Francis:  “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter the Lord.”

As we transition into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, may we always be mindful that the Eucharist will never be complete so long as people still go hungry in our world.

Have a Blessed Day.