John 6: 1-15

We leave the Gospel of Mark aside for the next 4 Sundays when the 6th chapter of John’s gospel is read. The chapter begins with the feeding of the 5000+ people in the desert. This miracle is told by all four evangelists, and repeated by two, so it has great significance for us.

As we read today’s text, Jesus is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The people have gathered because they have seen him work a healing miracle or `sign’ as John likes to call such miracles. Jesus retreats to the hill where he sits with his disciples. We can imagine the scene as they look down and see this crowd approaching. Jesus understands that they have come a distance and so are hungry. He asks Philip where they could buy food for such a crowd? Jesus knew exactly what he was going to do but wanted to see the reaction of Philip and Andrew. Andrew notices that a boy has some loaves and fishes, so maybe he already is thinking that Jesus can do something!

Jesus the great teacher demonstrates to his disciples that they are capable, with his help, of solving the problem of the hunger of this crowd. Jesus first asked that the people organise themselves in small groups. We can be sure that this boy who had some loaves and fishes wasn’t the only one of the 5000+ who came with some food. My experience of going out for the day with a group of people was that they always had food for the journey. Food that was shared, homemade breads, cakes, fried mandioca, rice, the stable food of those rural folk. In the time of Jesus bread and fish were the stable food. Jesus asked them to bring the bread and fish, and in an obvious allusion to the gift of Himself in the Eucharist, He blessed it and then distributed it Himself to all those seated. When they were satisfied, Jesus asked his disciples to gather up the left overs.

These too were abundant. Today we witness starving children and adults in Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and in many other places in our world, even here in Ireland where children of homeless and migrant families are suffering from malnutrition. As on that day in the desert there are enough resources in the world to satisfy everyone’s hunger if these are shared.

What can I do? One thing I do know is, it is not enough just to admire Jesus, ‘the Bread of Life’.

Bridget O’Driscoll, OP