Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” – John 6:7

As Philip responded to Jesus’ query, I imagine him taking a good look at the crowd before them, estimating how much food each person in the huge assembly would eat, and then recalling how much he used to get for a day’s work.

       He must have drawn numbers in the air and counted with his fingers (and toes even). Multiply this. Divide that. Add this. Subtract that. Until he came up with “two hundred day’s wages is not even enough.” If Philip were alive today, he surely would be a certified public accountant.

       I see a little of Philip in me. When faced with a financial need, I start computing every peso I earn and spend. Every punch in the calculator fuels a subtle belief that I can do it alone. But when the calculations show more debt than gain, I start to worry that I don’t have enough.

       Until I am reminded that, yes, my list of debts may be a mile long but God never fails to provide. I only need to have faith. If He was able to feed 5,000 people, how could He not provide for me? Osy Erica (osy.erica@gmail.com)

Reflection: Stop being your own accountant. Subtract doubt and multiply faith in your life.

You, oh God, are my Provider, and Your grace is enough to pull me through. Teach me to have faith and to rely on Your goodness and abundance.

St. Athanasius, bishop and doctor of the Church, pray for us.

St. Athanasius, whose feast day it is today, was a great bishop of the city of Alexandria. He was a great theologian who wrote about the role of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity and in our lives. He spoke out against political corruption and, thus, made many powerful enemies that led to living much of his life as a bishop in exile. He refused to compromise the truth.

34A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time, 35 and said to the Sanhedrin, “Fellow children of Israel, be careful what you are about to do to these men. 36 Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important, and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed, and all those who were loyal to him were disbanded and came to nothing. 37 After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census. He also drew people after him, but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered. 38 So now I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. 39 But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him. 40 After recalling the Apostles, they had them flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. 41 So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. 42 And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.

R: One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (R) 4 One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple. (R)13 I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. (R)

Jesus multiplies the food. This miracle indicates that the laws of nature are subject to Jesus and not the other way around. That is, God stands above the laws of nature as their Creator. This is important as it indicates that God is more than just a presence in nature as natural theology argues. He is above nature and, thus, it will submit to His commands. This also tells us that we must submit to the will and laws of God if we want to maintain good relations with Him. What is created is never greater than its creator.

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

1 After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. 2 A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish feast of Passover was near. 5 When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. 12 When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. 14 When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” 15 Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Deuteronomy 1-3

WHY SO MANY LEFTOVERS?

Sometimes I wonder why there are so many leftovers after the feeding miracle. We see this in all the different Gospel accounts of this miracle. This miracle is the only one that appears in all of the Gospel accounts. Each of the Gospel writers attests to the many leftovers, so we are left to ask ourselves: Why are there so many leftovers?

       Perhaps one of the reasons for the excess in the food is to demonstrate the bounty of God — that is, God does not just provide enough. He provides far more than we would need because that is the God that He is — a God of abundant love, mercy and providence. This abundance is supposed to give us confidence that God will be equally abundant with the graces we need to sustain our spiritual lives and, if not equally abundant, then even more so.

       God did not create us just to abandon us after we let Him down through our sins. He will never abandon us, no matter how far we stray from His presence. He will always seek us out and woo us back into His presence. The abundance of God’s love for us is the reason behind the abundance of food when Jesus performs the feeding miracles. As such, let us reflect upon this message as we consider today’s Gospel.

       God’s love is something we should not place a measure on, as this only limits our capacity to receive from His infinite store of love, grace and blessings. Yes, we are limited in our capacity to receive due to our mortality, but let us not personally decide where these limits might be as I am sure that God has other ideas. After all, being our Creator, He has the capacity to increase our capability to receive His love. The message of Isaiah in Chapter 54, where we are told to increase the size of our tent, is an indication of this. Let us never limit God with our own limited expectations and shortcomings. Let us be as expansive as we can in order to receive all that He has for us. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What are your expectations when it comes to receiving the graces and gifts that God has for you? Are you open to receiving even more than what you think you want?

Jesus, help me to expand the horizons of my thoughts and visions as to Your call upon my life so that I would never limit You from using me to do Your will in building Your Kingdom..