Homily Reflection: Come, Taste of a Miracle

Homily Reflection 18th Sunday- A (Is 55:1-3;  Rm 8:35,37-39; Mt 14:13-21)

In today’s readings we see the power of the Lord;  A power that can take so little and produces great miracles. Jesus takes almost nothing and achieves greatness.  

The question I want to ask today comes from the first reading:  Why spend your money for what fails to satisfy? Instead, come and taste a miracle.

We waste our selves on things of this world. People will put all they have into things that fail to satisfy.  Time wasted watching TV or on the internet or something else.  People give their money and their gifts to the things of this worldly life.  But, maybe the answer is that we are looking for something else like the those in today’s readings. 

Do you ever wonder about the fish and bread? What did it taste like?   I don’t know. The bread was probably not freshly baked.  The fish was probably dried or smoked.  Someone had probably carrying the bread and the fish around all day stuffed inside their robes.  There was not much of it and it was probably not very good.

But Jesus took it, looked to heaven and said the blessing. I like the words of St. Ephrem who describes the multiplication of the loaves like this:

His hands were as earth beneath the bread and his voice was as thunder above it. The movement of his lips acted as dew, the breath of his mouth as sunlight.

My friends, this is a great description of the Lord’s miracle working.

What do you think the fish and bread tasted like then?  What was the taste of a miracle. Well, the scriptures don’t tell us. There were no foodies to blog about it, no restaurant critics; but, it was probably the best meal in the world.  Remember this – Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana, and the steward said “the best was saved for last.”

Some say, there was no real miracle, the food was already there.  People were caught up in the moment and sharing the food that they already had.  That is still a miracle, but not necessarily true.  These people came to Jesus. Everyone was poor; everyone there was bringing all that they had to him.  They were bringing their sick looking for a cure, they were bringing their sins and looking for forgiveness, and they were bringing their hunger and looking to be fed.

At the end of the day, the Disciples wanted to send the people away to fend for themselves.  The Apostles were not stupid, they looked at what they had and then did the simple math. There was no way the little food they had could feed the many.  They could divide, add, and subtract and saw that it was not possible.  But Jesus knew how to multiply.  Jesus took the little bit of food they gave him, the little bit of faith they had, and gave them more food than they needed.  Jesus multiplied the smallest amount so there would be enough.  Jesus satisfied the crowds.

So let us go back to the question - Why spend you money for what fails to satisfy?

Isaiah tells us the promises of God.  He will feed us and we will live. Three times, God says come, if you need, you will have life and shall eat well.  Come, taste a miracle.

Jesus fed the multitude. It was a miracle then and people who seek him are still living in that miracle and being fed today.  The lord takes the little we bring and achieves great things.  Paul says that Christ’s love will feed us in anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril. If we offer what we have, the Lord will achieve great things.

The apostles had seen so much, still only had a little faith.  They did not think the crowd could be fed with the little they had.  Maybe, when he asked for what they had,  they remembered Jesus’ mother at the wedding feast - “Do as he tells you.”  Maybe they remember him turning simple water into great wine. So they gave him all they had.

If you give Jesus all that you have, no matter how little and he can achieve great things.  You will be satisfied. 

His power was not the measure of his miracle, but the people’s hunger. - St. Ephrem

The world still hungers today, but they look in other places. They look to things that do not satisfy.  So many people are looking for joy, looking for hope, looking for answers, looking for reassurance but they look in the wrong place.  They look in the world to satisfy their hunger for God.  Every one has it they just don’t recognize it.

We are the lucky ones, we know where to look to satisfy this hunger, and if we don’t, Jesus tells us:  'Bring them here to me,'  Come taste the miracle of the Eucharist.

Open your hearts, give all that you have, no matter how little it is.  When you do this, Jesus will feed you, satisfy you, and multiply that little you give and achieve so much.  Amen.

(Some of the ideas and stories are influenced by other sources)