Let’s see if we can find a few pearls in our Gospel this weekend. Jesus hears about the death of John the Baptist, who was His cousin and good friend. Our Lord retreats to a deserted place or a better translation says to a “lonely place” by Himself.
We have all experienced the pain of loss at some point, whether it is the loss of a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a child, a friend, or a dear parishioner. The loss of a loved one or friend creates a hole in our lives. Christ enters our pain of loss. He knows the pain of losing a dear friend very well.
Our Lord teaches us how to handle this experience. Not by looking down at our feet in despair, but rather up in hope. As Jesus always does, He turns to the Father, who is the Father of compassion and the source of encouragement.
Next, we hear about a major change in Christ’s plans. Jesus was fully expecting time for solitude, or “alone time” as we say today. Unfortunately, hungry crowds have tracked Him down. How do you react when something or someone changes your plans? Do you get upset when things do not go as you hoped? Christ reminds you to have a docile heart with changes in your plans.
Additionally, Matthew tells us that when Jesus sees the crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them. Another translation says that He had compassion on them. The etymology of compassion means to “suffer with.” Jesus was willing to suffer with them.
In contrast, the disciples seem quite annoyed by the crowd. “It’s late, send them away.” In other words, “We’re tired of these people. They have been around long enough. It is time to begin our private retreat. Jesus, send them away.” We see a great contrast between Christ, who is compassionate, and the disciples, who are annoyed and impatient.
Furthermore, we get the sense that the disciples are anxious. “How are we supposed to feed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish?” Sometimes we feel like this with money or time! “How am I supposed to pay for all this?” Or more commonly for some, “How am I supposed to get all this done with this little amount of time?” One of the loveliest qualities of our Lord is that He does a lot with a little. Somehow, rooted in prayer, He always remains calm and multiplies what little we give Him.
Again, notice the difference between Jesus and His disciples. When Jesus receives a little bit of food, He looks up to heaven. The disciples, for their part, do not. Instead, they look around at others. They look horizontally, but not up. By looking up, Jesus remains perfectly peaceful and confident. The disciples, in contrast, are filled with anxiety as they look around at others.
Moreover, we hear about the miracle. Matthew gives us four verbs: took, blessed, broke, and gave. Naturally, this is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist where Matthew uses the same four verbs at the Last Supper. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, ‘Take and eat; this is my body’” (Mt. 26:26). We hear these same verbs at every Mass where Christ nourishes our hunger with the Eucharist, i.e., His Body and Blood.
I might also add here that Christ also takes those who love Him, blesses them with the gift of His Heart, breaks them or stretches them so that they realize they can do nothing on their own (Jn. 15:5), and gives them as a gift to others. Those who are open to being taken by Christ – taken with His love, blessed and broken for Him, know that while this is most difficult, it is also the most joyful and fulfilling. A life taken by Christ is the most adventurous life of all!
Finally, we hear that the crowds ate and were satisfied. Physically, their bellies were full. Later in the chapter, however, we learn that the deeper hunger of the heart – the hunger for love, peace, stability, friendship, and healing – had remained. Once Jesus reaches another town, crowds again flock to Him. In short, life is much more fulfilling and fun when you are with Jesus!
In summary, here are some pearls from this week’s gospel:
- Jesus knows grief – the experience of losing a friend and looks up;
- Jesus is approachable, willing to change His plans for others’ needs;
- Jesus is compassionate, i.e., He enters the suffering of others;
- Jesus does a lot with a little as He remains focused on the Father;
- Jesus satisfies not only our physical hunger, but our deeper hunger of love, peace, healing, and friendship;
- Life is simply more fun and adventurous when you are with Jesus!
~St. Thérèse, pray for us!