Sunday Gospel Reflection
They saw the signs which Jesus did

Introduction:

The Gift of God

What do you most appreciate in your life? How hard did you work for those items or qualities? Do you deserve those items or qualities?

Is it a gift or a right? We Americans seem to work harder to gain the good things in life. Yet, if we were asked what we cherish the most, we would point to those
things that cannot be earned. Ultimately, the question of falls to the our inner character. Are we self-giving or self centered?

Jesus presented such a choice to crowd he fed with bread and fish. He gave them a sign. But was it a sign of faith or a sign of birthright?

First Reading
2 Kings 4:42-44

42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said,
   "Give to the men, that they may eat."
43 But his servant said, "How am I to set this before a hundred men?" So he repeated, "Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, 'They
shall eat and have some left.'"
44 So he set it before them. And they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the LORD

Second Reading
Ephesians 4:1-6

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in al

Gospel Reading
John 6:1-15


1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiber'i-as.
2 And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased.
3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?"
6 This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?"
10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as  they wanted.
12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost."
13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!"
15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Bible Study/Meditation

In difficult times do you see the donut, or the hole? Is the glass half-empty, or half-full? More importantly when you see the glass as half-empty and there is a
need for a full glass, do you see God as fully capable of supplying the missing portion? The chorus of a children's song goes, "There are infinite possibilities in little beginnings, if God is in it, if God is in it." This week's Gospel is about the infinite possibilities God can do with little beginnings.

Jesus' ministry, and several Old Testament accounts of God's dealing with Israel, demonstrate God's power to create and multiply food to meet people's needs. For instance, the Israelites were saved from starvation during the Exodus, by the provision of manna from heaven.  The prophet Elisha in this week's first reading saw God multiply a small portion of bread and corn sufficiently enough to feed a hundred hungry men. Elijah's life, along with that of a widow and her son, was spared when the widow of Zarepath unselfishly gave the last of her meager supply of oil and flour to make Elijah's meal. (1Kings 17)

And in the New Testament we see Jesus create wine from water, and twice multiply a few loaves of bread and fish sufficiently enough to feed thousands. In most of these incidences there was more food left over than when they began.

Can God create something out of nothing, and multiply a little bit into the needed amount? The answer is without question, "Yes!" However, the questions that should occupy us are, "Why did he insure that we would have a written record of his miraculous power, and saving grace in these incidences?" and "What is the lesson he wants us to learn, and the knowledge he wants us to possess about him?"

One lesson may well be that we should not discount the impact of the infinite possibilities our little contribution can make in the Kingdom of God, when it is willingly given over to God. The widow of Zarepath only had a cup of oil and a bit of flour, Elisha's servant only had a twentieth of what was needed, and the disciples had
only a few loaves of bread and a few fish. Their resources, in proportion to what they needed, could only be described as falling far short even of being half-full. Yet even these small portions, given over to an all powerful God, could be multiplied to meet needs in tremendous ways in God's kingdom. Imagine how different sacred Scriptures would be if the widow of Zarepath, Elisha, and the young boy had not voluntarily made their little beginnings available to God's infinite power. Imagine how impoverished would be both their faith and ours if they had not come to understand this infinite possibilities concept of God.

"From all sides people have streamed to the man whose name is on every tongue. Their physical hunger is expressive of their spiritual. Jesus sees both, and performs the symbolic act of blessing bread and fish and distributing them. Thousands eat their fill, and quantities of food are left over. The meaning of the miracle is clear. It does not consist of the feeding of the crowd. From the practical standpoint, the disciples are quite right to suggest that the people go into the surrounding villages and buy food. No, the feeding of the thousands is a revelation of divine abundance.
This is the gesture of the active, giving source of divine love; the nourishing of the bodies is but the prefiguration of the sacred nourishment soon to be proclaimed from Capharnaum." (from The Lord, by Romano Guardini)

Let's become like little children in our faith and once again nourish the belief that , "There are infinite possibilities in little beginnings, if God is in it, if God is in it."

Reflections:

· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you and what inner message of the heart is the Spirit whispering to you?

. John 6:5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him.
  ----Jesus concerns about the welfare of yourself and the others.Do you concern about others as Jesus did?

. John 6:7-9
  ---- What is the difference between Philip's response and Andrew's?
  ---- Do you depend on God's strength or your own strength while you are doing His will?
  ---- The five loaves and two fishes can be seen as your cooperation in Jesus' work. How do we use our God-given talents to help others?

. How can we truly appreciate God's gifts to us? And, how do we resist the temptation to demand more from God and turn faith into an exercise of selfish greed?

. John 6:13
  Jesus asks his disciples to gather the leftover bread fragments; "so they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets."
  ----In this consumer society, we are wasting foods, materials, resources, and talents. What should you do with the leftover to show your gratitude to God?

. Jesus is the Bread of Life in the Eucharist. When we receive the Eucharist, we become one with God. What do you do before and after receiving the Eucharist

Prayer

Lord, you satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts and you feed us with the finest of wheat (Ps 81:16).
Fill me with gratitude and give me a generous heart that I may freely share with others what you have given to me.