18TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME , YEAR A

Isaiah 55:1-3

Romans 8:35.37-39

Matthew 14:13-21

A GOD OF ABUNDANCE

We serve a faithful and loving God. His love for us is free and invincible. Thus, in the first reading, God invited the people of Israel in exile to come to him and get nourished without pay. He promised them the renewal of his everlasting covenant and of the benefits assured to David. He has promised and he will accomplish.

According to St Paul, in the second reading, nothing can separate us from God’s love manifested to us in Jesus Christ. In the Gospel, we are presented with the account about the multiplication of bread and the consequent feeding of the crowd by Jesus. This miracle represents the Lord’s compassion and generous concern for his people.

For our meditation, three lessons may be drawn from today’s readings. First, like the people of Israel and the crowd, we are hungry and thirsty for something more than physical food and drink. We are longing and yearning for healing, consolation, liberation, justice, fulfillment, etc. We are therefore invited to come to the Lord, who is the only one capable of satisfying our deepest aspirations in life. As the psalmist puts it: God answers all our needs and satisfies the desire of every living being.

Second, the multiplication of bread prefigures the superabundance of the Eucharist, the unique Bread of life. In the Eucharist, God manifests the fullness of his love for us. In the Eucharist, the Lord does not only renew his covenant with us, but also he comes to feed us, to console us and renew our strength for our journey of life.

Lastly, God cares for every one of us, but often he needs our cooperation: “Give them some food yourselves,” Jesus told his disciples. Today, there are many people who are struggling to make ends-meat, people who are thirsty of love and acceptance, people who need compassion and attention. Can we be a sign of God's generous love and concern towards these people? Let us remember that faith without concrete deeds of love and concern for others is fruitless and dead. May the Lord teach us to share so as to have a share in his blessings. Amen.