Five Loaves and Two Fish

" Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him. He said, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' He asked this only to test his disciples, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. [One] of his disciples spoke up, 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?' Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' The men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.' So they gathered and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of loaves left over. After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is come into the world.' [John 6: 5-14].

When I meditate on the Reading, what I see is a foreshadowing of Jesus giving the first Eucharist, blessing the bread and saying, 'Take this and eat from it.' To this day, in churches all over the world, we receive Jesus' bread, and there has always been enough to eat.

I think this is because the bread symbolizes the life-giving love that Jesus gives us! That love is plentiful, it is generous, it never ends.

By this miracle of the loaves and fishes, the people recognized Jesus as Prophet. But we are all called to be Prophets.

I like to think that, therefore, we are all called to recreate the Loaves and Fishes miracle, every day. We are called to make something sacred out of very little. We are called to turn a tiny gesture into endless Love.

As a child in a dysfunctional family, I tried to create an atmosphere of Love. When I was about 12 or 13, I volunteered to tend my mother's garden. I brought flowers into the house to beautify what was essentially a very ugly atmosphere. A few stalks of leaves and flowers brought God's beauty into the home. A tiny gesture, a lot of Love. Loaves and Fishes.

When I grew up and got married, my husband and I bought our first house. Our neighbor had a huge vegetable garden across the whole width of his property. He produced a bountiful harvest: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini. One day, he gave me some zucchini. I went home and baked zucchini bread, and brought him a loaf. Loaves and Fishes.

Several years ago, my best friend was diagnosed with cancer. I was shocked and devasted by the news. I knew that, medically, I could not save her. That was up to the doctors-- and God. But I did try to rescue her and her young family with Love. I told everyone I knew about her plight. Word spread. People donated meals, volunteered to run errands, to carpool, to mow the lawn. The family never had to worrry about their day to day needs. Loaves and Fishes.

An elderly neighbor is widowed and lives alone. She is nervous at night, but until recently, she never confided her fears. One day, she asked me if I knew anything about gardening. I thought about all the gardening I did as a child and how awful that felt, trying to gain love where there was none. Yet, I ended up planting some little flowers in my neighbor's front beds. She told me how happy she is every time she sees the little flowers. Loaves and Fishes.

Recently, I heard a poignant story about a homeless man who did not own a scarf to keep him warm in the winter. I cried over this. I know what it means to not have basic needs met. In my closet, I had bins and bags of unused yarn. I began to knit scarves for the homeless shelter. People would ask me what I was knitting? When I told them the story of the man without the scarf, they offered to knit scarves, too. Some, who did not know how to knit, donated yarn. Loaves and Fishes.

"Loaves and Fishes" is real. Every day. 

Now I ask you: Do you dare to practice "Loaves and Fishes?" The tiniest gesture can mean a world of Love to someone. How much do you dare to give Endless Love ?

What is the miracle of "Loaves and Fishes"? It is the alchemy of Love, the miraculous process by which almost nothing-- a tiny seed-- becomes something Sacred, a never-ending source of nourishment for the soul.

[Related Posting: "Loaves and Fishes", July 27, 2011.]

(c) The Spiritual Devotional 2012. All Rights Reserved.