Friday, 2nd week of Easter, April 12, 2024
Acts 5:34-42; Ps 27: 1, 4, 13-14; Jn 6:1-15
So here we are. Sitting around listening to Jesus speak. We are so enthralled that we do not recognize it is getting late in the day. We did not bring any food, and looking around, no one else did either. Estimating that there are well over 5,000 people here, we wonder how anyone will be able to eat. Even if there were restaurants around, which there were not, none of them would have the capacity to feed us all. I guess we will all go hungry we think.
Suddenly a question is asked, “Does anyone have anything to eat?” You have got to be kidding, we think. A young boy stands up, “I have five barley loaves and two fish.” Hardly enough to feed his own family. But Andrew walks up to him, “I need your bread and fish to feed everyone.” Can you imagine what that young boy thought as Andrew approached him? If I was the boy responsible for holding onto my family’s food for the day, I would have been terrified. You want my food? Are you crazy? How are we going to eat, and how do you think this will feed everyone? Yet, the boy, seemingly docile, recognizes that this is God’s will and hands it over to Andrew.
While we do not know what happened to the young boy, we know his offering fed everyone there and led to one of Jesus’ miracles in front of a large number of people. It is one of the earliest signs we have where Jesus makes it known He will feed the people for all eternity. This miracle symbolizes how Jesus will eventually feed us through the Eucharist for all eternity. This boy knew, by the grace of God, that he had to do what was asked.
I often wonder, how many times do we see, or hear, God’s will, and then do not follow it? Yes, we need to discern His will because the enemy is always trying to trip us up. And the enemy makes us think that what they want is God’s will, even when it is not. We need to learn to listen for and then follow God’s will. I am not suggesting that we all go and listen to a speaker on a hill with no means of food just to hear God’s will, but there are ways we can emulate what was going on there and what this young boy did. The best way to do that is to make sure we have a solid prayer life. If we are constantly having a discussion with God, our relationship with Him becomes more intimate and we can begin to see clearly what is from God and what is not. Gamaliel makes this point clear in the first reading, “For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
How many times have we fought against God and not listened? To listen, we need frequent alone time with our Lord or in prayer; the times we spend saying, “Hail Mary” as we walk the steps of life. The more time we spend with Him, and the more time we spend in prayer, the more we will be able to discern God’s will for us, and how He wants to use us in our lives. As I was discussing this with a friend the other day, he asked, “So what does that mean? How are we to do that?” While it is not easy, I said, we must first start with prayer, then let God take over. Stop fighting God for control. Just like the young boy did. If we let God be in charge, the Holy Spirit will provide us with what we need. Our discernment will be sharp and accurate. As Gamaliel says, if it is not from God, it will perish. All we need to do is be ready and have the faith of that young boy and the disciples. So, when God asks us, we will know it is from Him and we can say yes, here are my five barley loaves and two fish, do with them, and me, as you will.
Saint James Catholic Church 