31/07/2011 - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Season - Year A
1Reading Is 55,1-3 Psalm 144 2Reading Rom 8,35.37-39 Gospel Mt 14,13-21
God's message today comes to us through the image of food and drink, of hunger
and thirst, to reveal and to pass on to us his love. All men have deep aspirations,
and until these are not satisfied, they won't be in peace. Men continue to search,
but their search might be in illusory directions and risk to endanger the same <thirst>
and the same <hunger>! Isaiah intervens on this point: with a retoric question
he helps us to see the inconsistency of who work hard and pay dear to things that
are not those that satisfy the heart. Only God, our Father, knows what can satisfy
us and give us joy. And so there goes the invitation to go to him, without preoccupations,
without uncertainties. Next to him we can enjoy that fullness of love that fills
our hearts.
The crowd that follows Jesus is aware of being on the right path, that one that
leads to joy, to a sense of deep satisfaction, because Jesus is the presence of
God, of God's love. Even sick persons are brought to him, because they could see
that he is the source of life and health. The Lord's look, every word, his acts,
his breath, his shadow draw close to him simple people, because all that belongs
to Jesus is love, is God's gift, is a grace, is fullness of life for us. He first
and foremost, seeing the spiritual thirst of the people following him, people who
were left alone at the mercy of themselves, people who have no one to teach them
and listen to them and love them, started to give them words of wisdom. And then
accept their questions and listens to them and healed those who were devastated
by a disease. And since they were with him all day, he also thinks of their hunger.
Jesus is truly the good shepherd: he takes care of all the suffering of those who
rely on him. He does not accept the proposal of his disciples, who suggested to
him to let everyone take care of oneself. No, the shepherd leads his sheep when
they are hungry. And he does not accept that the problem is solved by money: this
is his enemy, when it creeps in the heart of man as master: "You give them
something to eat." We put in front of Jesus what little we have, and he will
make enough for everyone. If our hearts love with his love, we can witness the wonders
of the Father. Jesus refer the issue to the Father, who is really his father. The
crowd can sit on the grass and wait: the disciples themselves are servants of all.
Jesus wants them to learn to serve and that people are served by them. The true
food for man comes from Jesus through the hands of his own, and Jesus takes it from
the heart of the Father, whom he asks with his eyes turned upward and with his prayer
and blessing.
The disciples also gather the leftovers, so in the future everyone will know where
to go when they get hungry, everyone will know to whom one can turn to search for
life: to seek it from the hands of the disciples of Jesus!
Today's Gospel reveals the face of the Lord: he is the good shepherd, he is the
compassion of God for our every need. He is the head of the Church, who continues
to give his word to men for their nourishment, but continue to keep them together
and to give the true rest and protect them from those who try to deceive them. The
Church is the guardian of those twelve baskets from which we can all take, but always
take with that humility that knows how to ask and wait for the proper food from
the hands of the twelve apostles. The Church keeps us united to her head, Jesus:
it is from him that we never want to be separated and that no one can separate us.
What will we do if we let ourselves be separated from our Lord? No trial, no suffering,
no threat can prevent Jesus' love or may prevent us from staying with him. So says
St. Paul writing his letter to the Romans.
Let us continue to look at Jesus, and continue to feed ourselves by his Word and
by his bread: we are to find it always in his Church. He himself did not want to
give personally to the crowds, but wanted it to be distributed through his apostles,
so that he assures us that his grace and his goodness remain tied up with his Church.
Let us be proud of belonging to the Church with all humility, because we are in
need and week. Our sole richness and our sole joy is he, the Lord Jesus.