Feeding the Hungry

What can we offer to feed the hungry? 

The physically hungry and the spiritually hungry.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus feeds thousands with just a few loaves and fishes.

That feeding is recognized as a foreshadowing of the Eucharist.

At the Last Supper, Jesus repeats words similar to those in this passage.

And the priest repeats them in every Mass, at the consecration and elevation:

… looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves,

     and gave them to his disciples.

These are familiar words.

And we’re well aware that more is being offered than just the physical food.

We realize that the food is also a symbol of Jesus offering his whole self.

Especially when we hear the added phrases: This is my body and This is my blood.

And know that the bread and wine have passed even beyond the symbolic stage.

And have actually been transformed in substance.

We’re familiar with all that, even if we can’t fully explain the miracle.

But today’s Gospel passage also presents a less familiar line.

The disciples express their concern over the crowd’s need for food.

And Jesus responds, Give them some food yourselves.

Of course, the disciples can’t do that on their own.

But they do participate in the feeding effort.

They scout up the five loaves and two fishes.

They distribute the miraculously multiplied food to the crowd of thousands.

And they collect the leftovers.

That idea of active participation is also carried into our Eucharistic celebration.

Before the consecration and the elevation,

We bring our gifts to the altar.

We bring the bread and wine—the works of human hands.

But at that point they are already taking on added symbolic meaning.

They represent all the gifts that all of us offer.

Then we each join in praying that the gift we chose to offer may be acceptable to God.

We also add a few drops of water, symbolizing us, into the wine.

And pray: By the mixture of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ,

Who humbled himself to share in our humanity.

It’s only after all that is done that we move on to the consecration.

So, before consecration, the bread and wine are already steeped in symbolism.

And it’s that symbol-packed bread and wine,

Already mingled with the gifts we’ve offered,

That is ultimately transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ.

Whatever individual gift we offer gets incorporated into the body and blood of Christ.

So, considering all that, what can we offer to feed the hungry?

Would we offer anything less than our whole self?

Tuesday after Epiphany

Mk 6:34-44                                    Read this Scripture @usccb.org