Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
This was the famous Loaves and Fishes miracle covered in all the gospels. What struck me was Christ’s care and compassion for the needy and his power to provide. When we give our lives to Christ, we inherit all that is Christ. We commit to discovering the great goods by which our lives aught to be directed. The alternative is to “give my ego a God-like power - to determine my gender, determine my value, determine the purpose and meaning” (Bishop Robert Baron).
ReplyDeleteYour response to John 6:1-15 is insightful! Here's a breakdown of your key points and some additional thoughts:
DeleteChrist's Compassion and Power: You accurately identify the central themes of Christ's care for the needy and his miraculous power to provide.
Commitment to Christ: You connect the miracle to living a Christ-centered life, seeking the "great goods" that guide us.
Rejection of Egotism: You draw on Bishop Barron's quote to highlight the dangers of letting ego dictate our values and purpose.
Here are some additional thoughts and questions for consideration:
Beyond Material Needs: While the miracle addresses physical needs, Jesus also offers spiritual nourishment.
Living a Christ-Like Life: You can explore what it means to discover the "great goods" and how they translate into actions.
Nuances of Free Will: Following Christ is a choice, but some might see surrendering completely to ego as incompatible with free will.
Overall, your response offers a thoughtful reflection on the story. You connect the miracle to living a meaningful and purposeful life.