17th Sunday of Ordinary Time
2 Kgs 4: 42-44; Eph 4: 1-6; Jn 6: 1-15
Deacon Larry Brockman
What are you hungry for? Just exactly what are you looking for as nourishment?
Today we hear two stories about people who are hungry for something. The first one is about a group of people who were physically starving. A famine had struck the land, and there was no food anywhere. The people were just desperate for survival. And so, Elisha prays for help. Then, the man arrives from another area with meager provisions- just 20 barley loaves. Elisha trusts that his prayer has been answered, and commands that these 20 loaves be shared with all 100 people. What a leap of faith! And yet, the last line of the first reading tells it all: “And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the Lord had said.” God had been trusted; and he had provided what the people needed when they needed it, with some left over for good measure.
Chances are, those people needed to satisfy more than their physical hunger. They needed to know how to live life in a more meaningful way. But they were so focused on their physical needs that they couldn’t see the way out. The fact is, life is always more complex than our physical needs. Our spiritual needs are the most critical ones- but we can become so set in our physical lives that we don’t recognize it. We can become so wrapped up in our world, that we forget that God is there for us, and so, left to our own devices in this world, we starve.
Fortunately, Elisha had faith; he knew what was really important and where to turn. And through his faith in God, the people were spared; Elisha was showing them the way.
Then picture this: Over a thousand pass, and this scene unfolds in the hills of the Holy Land. Jesus finds thousands of people wandering out into the wilderness to follow him. Why? Because he has shown them that there is more meaning to life than their physical needs. They have wandered off without food and water just to hear Jesus, hoping to see a miracle, hoping his unique message will move them, hoping that things will be different in their lives. And in an ironic twist, Jesus’ first concern is their physical well-being! He feeds them with food before feeding them with the message on the bread of life. That message on the bread of life follows next in the Gospel of John.
Indeed, it was no accident that the crowd that Jesus fed miraculously was fed with Barley Loaves, just as the crowd that Elisha fed had been fed with barley loaves. Jesus is drawing attention to the Old Testament miracle to make a point- that the real salvation of mankind is not the sustenance that the world provides, but rather, the “bread of life”; and that such bread of life comes only through God.
I think that as we get older, our aches and pains and physical comfort can be a real obstacle to us in our spiritual life. We are reminded of these discomforts by our bodies in almost every moment of our consciousness. Some of us are sensitive in our diets or appetites; some can’t sleep regularly; some need special medications to relieve pain or to keep us going; some need help getting around; some need help thinking things through; and so, all of us can become preoccupied with just getting along from moment to moment. This preoccupation dulls our ability to see what is really important in life- a hunger for the Kingdom of God.
All of these physical limitations, and indeed even hunger itself, should remind us that life is very fragile. It is a gift from God; and God controls our destiny. So, we should look to God for our sustenance. We should put our trust in him and ask for what is his will for us. It’s hard to do that; our bodies broadcast louder signals to catch our attention. But ultimately, we will not be free of all of our ills until we enter the Kingdom of God.
So, as you receive the Eucharist in a few minutes today, recognize that you are receiving the bread of life, Jesus Christ, himself, into your very being. Capture that moment, and ask Jesus to satisfy your real hungers in life- the peace of mind that only God can provide in the Kingdom of God.
