First Reading: 2 Kg 4:42-44
Second Reading: Eph 4:1-6
As all of us know, love is
the hallmark of Christianity. The one thing which turned the world upside down
is the love of Christ – a love which was manifested not in gloriousness rather
in suffering, mercy and compassion. The love of Christ revolutionized the
world, it toppled many kingdoms and startled several rulers. The effect of love
is peace and unity. The first Christians lived in unity because of the love
they had for each other. In the second reading we notice that St. Paul urging
the Ephesians to live in unity. Although both Jews and gentiles share the same
faith, same baptism, they could not live together. St. Paul pleads with them to
live in unity. Because the love of Christ in concretely manifested in us when
we live in unity. The lack of assimilation of the love of Christ leads one to
make distinction within the community. Jesus Christ loved all; Jews, gentiles,
Samaritans, sinners, tax collector, romans and so forth. He did not restrict
His love to particular community alone. As disciples of Jesus who bear the mark
of Jesus through baptism all of us have a commitment to manifest His unreserved
love in an unrestricted way. Yes, it is difficult but not impossible.
Our Catholic Liturgy itself
– even prayer services of any denominations – show that our worship involves
unity. There is a communitarian aspect in our liturgy. People from different
families, background, culture and nationality come together to celebrate the
paschal mystery – the Holy Mass. In the Gospel, we have the account of the
multiplication of bread. This is the only miracle that is presented in all the
four gospels. Jesus had the power to rain down manna, from heaven and make all them eat. He could do anything
without the help of anyone. But in this miracle Jesus looks for the
contribution and involvement of others. The five barley loaves and two fish
from a boy whose identity is insignificant becomes a tool for great miracle of
all times. This is what we notice when Jesus affirms the contribution of the
poor widow (Mk 12:41-44). Our God does not look for the quantity but a heart
and generosity in which we make our offering. The little contribution made by
that small boy is elevated and transformed into a great meal. This is what
happens when we generously offer. However little it is, He makes it multiply
and overflow with His grace. And so, it is not enough to pray for people who
lack basic necessities. We need to move ourselves to give our share. Jesus
looks for our participation and collaboration.
At the end of the miracle
Jesus tells the disciples to collect whatever is extra. Jesus could leave those
extra food stuff for the people to take home or use it on their journey. Why
does He need to insist on gathering all the fragments? This feeding of five
thousand and more is not just about material food. It is the prefiguration of
the Holy Eucharist. Today Jesus feeds them with material food. Soon, on the
last supper He would feed the whole world with His very own flesh and blood. We
collect all the consecrated host that is left after the communion and keep it
in the tabernacle for veneration and adoration. When Jesus tells the disciples
to collect all the left overs His insistence is on not losing anything that is left (Jn 6:12). Thus, we need to
collect it devoutly so that it is not lost and misused. We don’t take the host
and go home. We collect all the remaining hosts and preserve it for adoration
and veneration.
On this day also the church
celebrates the fourth world day of grandparents and the elderly. Pope Francis
in his message presents Ruth as the model for the younger generation in responding
to the care of the elderly. Naomi feels that she would be a burden to her two
widowed daughter-in-laws and decides to send them away. While Orpah goes away,
Ruth decides to remain with Naomi. Ruth does not want to cast Naomi away in her
old age (Ps 71:9). Let us follow the example of Ruth when we encounter challenges
in caring for grandparents and the elderly. Our Lord loved all without any age barrier.
As Christians we need to show our love for all, even to the elderly because
they also have the mark of Christ. Our care may be little but our Lord would turn
that little into a great effect.
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