THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Friday of the second week of Easter, 2022

Acts 5:34-42

Ps 27

John 6:1-15

St. Catherine of Siena

Five loaves Two fish

I remember some people saying recently when they heard this very familiar gospel story again that before this they hadn’t mentioned the presence of the small boy. We tend to focus on Jesus and his disciples, and the crowd. Yet, the small boy with his five barley loaves and two fish is the key to what happens. 

In John’s version (Jn 6:1-15) of this episode, which we have just heard, he is first referred to by Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, but he is referred to in a way which suggests his relative insignificance, ‘There is a small boy here with five loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ However, Jesus does not consider the presence of this small boy with his meager resources to be insignificant. Jesus knows that if the boy is prepared to part with his precious little store, great things can happen. Indeed, according to the gospel reading, Jesus goes on to satisfy the hunger of the crowd with the five loaves and two fish of this small boy. 

Perhaps we can never know what exactly happened on that day, but the gospel reading is suggesting that the Lord can work powerfully through what are very insignificant resources, a small boy and his few loaves and fish. Our human resources, inadequate though they may be, matter a great deal to the Lord. If we offer our meager resources to him, he can enhance them beyond all our expectations. All the Lord asks is that we are generous with what we have, little as that may be, and he will work through us in ways that will surprise us. The Lord’s way of working is different from how the world works. As Saint Paul came to realize, the Lord’s power is often made perfect in weakness. 

Let us pray: Lord, we come to you in our needs, grant our requests, and keep us on the path of true life. Amen.

+Remain blessed