ONLY THE BREAD OF LIFE CAN SATISFY US

20150803 ONLY THE BREAD OF LIFE CAN SATISFY US

Readings at Mass

First reading

Numbers 11:4-15 ©

The sons of Israel began to wail, ‘Who will give us meat to eat?’ they said. ‘Think of the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic! Here we are wasting away, stripped of everything; there is nothing but manna for us to look at!’

  The manna was like coriander seed, and had the appearance of bdellium. The people went round gathering it, and ground it in a mill or crushed it with a pestle; it was then cooked in a pot and made into pancakes. It tasted like cake made with oil. When the dew fell on the camp at night-time, the manna fell with it.

  Moses heard the people wailing, every family at the door of its tent. The anger of the Lord flared out, and Moses greatly worried over this. And he spoke to the Lord:

  ‘Why do you treat your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour with you, so that you load on me the weight of all this nation? Was it I who conceived all this people, was it I who gave them birth, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, like a nurse with a baby at the breast, to the land that I swore to give their fathers”? Where am I to find meat to give to all this people, when they come worrying me so tearfully and say, “Give us meat to eat”? I am not able to carry this nation by myself alone; the weight is too much for me. If this is how you want to deal with me, I would rather you killed me! If only I had found favour in your eyes, and not lived to see such misery as this!’

Psalm

Psalm 80:12-17 ©

Ring out your joy to God our strength.

My people did not heed my voice

  and Israel would not obey,

so I left them in their stubbornness of heart

  to follow their own designs.

Ring out your joy to God our strength.

O that my people would heed me,

  that Israel would walk in my ways!

At once I would subdue their foes,

  turn my hand against their enemies.

Ring out your joy to God our strength.

The Lord’s enemies would cringe at their feet

  and their subjection would last for ever.

But Israel I would feed with finest wheat

  and fill them with honey from the rock.

Ring out your joy to God our strength.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Or

Mt4:4

Alleluia, alleluia!

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 14:13-21 ©

When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.

  When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.’ Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.’ ‘Bring them here to me’ he said. He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children.

ONLY THE BREAD OF LIFE CAN SATISFY US

SCRIPTURE READINGS: NUM 11:4-15; MT 14:13-21

We see a parallel between the incidents presented in today’s scripture readings.  Both groups of people were at the desert and they were hungry.  Moses and the disciples of Jesus were also challenged to feed the crowd.  In the end, both groups were given the Bread of Heaven.  But the similarities between them go only as far as these.   The contrast between them is more remarkable.

In the first place, the Israelites during the time of Moses were always grumbling and complaining.  They were never satisfied.  They complained that they did not have the basic necessities, that is, they had no bread.  After God had showered the manna on them; they complained about not having meat.  Then God sent them the quails.  But the demands of the Israelites did not end here.  Yes, the desires of the people could not be satisfied.   In exasperation, Moses, burdened by his responsibility of leading the people from Egypt, complained to God and wanted to end his life.  He felt he could no longer lead the people whom God asked him to deliver from the hands of the Egyptians.

In contrast, the Jews during the time of Jesus never complained.  They were hungry undoubtedly.  But it was the disciples of Jesus who were sensitive to their predicament.  They proposed to Jesus that He dismiss the crowd so that they could buy food for themselves.  However, Jesus responded by telling His disciples that they feed the people themselves.  And in the end, the people were fed with just five loaves and two fish and they had leftovers.

The question is, why did the people during the time of Jesus not complain and could easily be satisfied with a few loaves and two fish whereas the Israelites in the desert were dissatisfied even though they had manna and meat?   The real problem lies in this – they did not receive the Bread of Life before they received the bread for their physical needs.  That is to say, because they had not received the heart of God, they remained restless and discontented.  Furthermore, because they failed to listen to God’s word, they began to lack trust in God’s love and providential care.

On the other hand, the disciples and the Jews listened to the preaching of Jesus first.  Thus, after receiving the Bread of Life from Jesus, they began to understand the essentials of life.  Firstly, they understood the Father’s love and His providence.  They did not doubt that God would look after their needs.  The disciples trusted in Jesus when He told them to bring the five loaves and two fish so that these could be shared by all.

Secondly, after listening to Jesus, the disciples and the Jews realized that more than physical food, love and service are even more important.  And it is not improbable that the five loaves and two fish symbolized each person taking out what little he or she had to share with the others.  In this way, the food was multiplied and there were leftovers at the end of the meal.  Whatever it is, the fact remains that all of them were truly satisfied even if they had not much to eat.

Hence, we can see that people who have no spiritual life and who have no desire for the deeper things of life will always live on the peripheral level, pursuing mundane things which do not give them real and lasting satisfaction.  Inevitably, they will always remain dissatisfied.  But when a person has been touched by the love of God; or when he comes to understand the deeper realities of life as he comes to know God, then he would realize that all that he has in life are insignificant, compared to the greater joy he has found in being with God and his fellow human beings.  Why is that so?  As scripture says “Man does not live by bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God.” Because man is a spiritual being, he constantly searches to be united with His Creator. St Augustine understood this when he exclaimed in revelation “Our hearts are restless till they rest in thee.” When we have found true joy and love in the Lord, there is very little else that we need.

Consequently, if we want lasting fulfillment, we should “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these other things will be given as well.” How then, do we seek God and His Kingdom? It is by getting to know Jesus, the Bread of Life come down from Heaven. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord; No one can come to the Father except through me.” We have thus to be nourished by the Lord in prayer, the Word and the Eucharist. We are told that when the people heard that Jesus had left with his disciples in the boat, “leaving the towns, they went after him on foot.” Are we hungry for God? Do we make time in the hustle and bustle of our lives to be nourished by the Lord? Are spiritual retreats or holidays more a priority for us? More often than not, it is only when we are in crisis that we turn to the Lord, even blaming Him as the Israelites did.

Hence, unless we have received Jesus as the Bread of Life, the manna from Heaven, the Word of God, we can never be contented in life and our cravings will never cease.  But once we have the Life of God in us, everything else will be accepted gratefully; and even if we do not have them, we will not really miss them nor desire them. So today, let us not be afraid to bring our meager desire and efforts at spiritual growth to the Lord. “Bring them here to me” He said. “Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, raised His eyes to heaven and said the blessing. They all ate as much as they wanted.” Let us therefore take the first step to the Lord, and surely in His infinite mercy and love, He will not only satisfy our needs but will multiply the blessings abundantly, so that they will be shared joyfully with others.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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