GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT!

Prof./Evang. Michael P. Howard

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

"Give them some food yourselves." (Lk. 9:11-17

In Luke's Gospel, we encounter the well-known story of the feeding of the five thousand as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Each time we read a gospel passage, the Holy Spirit can reveal new insights. If we don't remain open to these revelations, the Gospels risk becoming just words on a page. God's word consistently invites us to deepen our relationship with Him. By immersing ourselves in Scripture, we can discover what God desires for us. It is essential to embrace this new wisdom, as the psalmist encourages us: "Find your delight in the LORD, who will give you your heart's desire" (Ps. 37:4).

On this day, when Jesus is preparing to serve dinner to over 5,000 people, the Gospel states that "Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured." Interestingly, Luke's narrative takes a drastic shift to the disciples' attitude: "Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." This behavior may seem odd, but it reflects how some of us act. Were the disciples getting bored and tired of all the discussions about the kingdom of God? Perhaps they were beginning to feel hungry, worrying about how the people would be fed.

However, there is another possibility that sheds light on the disciples' behavior. Perhaps they had forgotten the generosity of God, believing that Jesus had exhausted himself by speaking to and caring for such a large crowd. Who knows, the disciples might have felt it was time to interrupt Jesus and express their own hunger.

This Gospel passage marks a significant turning point as Jesus turns to His disciples and says, "Give them some food yourselves." This dramatic shift is important; Jesus knew the disciples had food available to them. Otherwise, why would He ask them to provide for the crowd? Jesus never asks us to do something that we are unable to accomplish. Just as God commanded Moses to free the Israelites from Pharaoh's grip, the disciples, too, were capable of feeding the multitude. Ultimately, they admitted, "We have only five loaves and two fish, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."

In this moment, we see that God's desire for us is to trust in the generosity of a loving God. On this special day, God showed love to those in need of healing. The disciples needed to grasp that we must also be generous, for God always has enough love for those who find joy in His omnipresence.

Can you accept a God who will bless others first before bestowing His blessings upon you?

Thank you for engaging with this blog. Should you find the content enriching, consider subscribing to the Eat the Scroll Ministry for updates on our newest blog posts. Feel free to like and share this blog with someone you know. Prof./Evangel. Howard