| 2008 Aug 3 SUN: EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Is 55:1-3/Ps 144(145)/Rom 8:35.37-39/Mt 14:13-21
From today's readings: "All you who are thirsty, come to the water!... The hand of the Lord feeds us; He answers all our needs..... In all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through Him who loved us.... There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves....." Food for thought When was the last time you were hungry - really hungry? Close to literally starving to death? All of us experience hunger every day, but most of us, thank God, have never been close to actual starvation. This is one of the decided advantages of living in our modern world - there's enough food for all the billions of people on our planet - much more than enough, in fact! Yes, there are still some people who go to bed hungry, even in our own neighborhoods, and not just in underdeveloped, poverty stricken nations. But world hunger is not the result of world food shortage - every year, the "bread basket" nations harvest more food than can possibly be eaten by all the world's inhabitants, and the excess food ends up rotting, while there are still hungry people. As we're all aware, there's a lot of complicated reasons for this shameful state of affairs - mostly, not very good reasons, but admittedly complicated reasons, and sadly, we're still a long ways from sorting that all out. Something that might help us all move toward resolution of those complicated problems is to think for a moment about where all that food comes from. The farmers, orchardists, ranchers, and migrant field workers in our midst will certainly tell about their hours and hours of hard work, which obviously is an essential ingredient in putting food on our tables. Our scientists and engineers will spout off a long list of technological advancements that have maintained geometric increases in food production, and no one can deny that that's all part of the recipe too. Truckers and merchants and a long line of other middlemen are all part of the mix as well. Yes, our food comes to us through all these people, but still, our food doesn't originate with any of these people, because ultimately and demonstrably, our food comes from the bounty of God our Creator. Men and women can cook food and bake food, mix food and shake food, but only God can truly create food and make food! Each of the scripture lessons today allude to this simple point. The prophet Isaiah calls out the good news (the best news imaginable!) to the starving and demoralized refugees of his day, "Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed Me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare!" The responsorial psalm reiterates the refrain: The hand of the Lord feeds us; He answers all our needs! St. Paul lists famine as one of the most terrifying experiences of human life, and yet neither that, nor any other threat or scourge can separate us from Christ's love, for "in all these things, we conquer overwhelmingly through Him who loved us!" The multiplication of the loaves was a wonderful miracle, but when you think of it, the way we get our food today is just that same miracle repeated in slow motion: God comes to His people, and His people come to Him for various motives and with varying degrees of commitment, but He has compassion on them all! He does not send the hungry away, as some would have Him do, but rather tells His followers, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves!" Starting with a few loaves and fishes, using them as seeds and breeding stock, our Lord continues to say His words of blessing, and grants the bountiful increase, calling then for the helping hands of farmers and fishermen and other middlemen of this time and place to give His food to the crowds, for there is plenty enough for all to eat, and be satisfied. Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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