July 25, 2021. 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Readings: 2 Kings 4:42-44; Eph. 4:1-6; Jn. 6:1-15 

Hunger - our No.1 Enemy

1.     David St. Clair, in the Translator’s Preface to the Book ‘Child of the Dark’, by Carolina Maria De Jesus, wrote: “Carolina is not really the main personage in her diary. It is a bigger character – Hunger. From the first to the last page, he appears with an unnerving consistency. The other characters are consequences of this Hunger: alcoholism, prostitution, violence, and murder.” A common adage states that “A hungry man is an angry man.” Therefore, it will be right to say that a hungry person cannot hear the word of God. Preaching the gospel and feeding the poor must always go hand in hand.  To this point St. James admonished, “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?” (James 2:14-17). No matter our position in life we must eat and feed those who depend on us. Without food we have no strength to work and without strength we cannot be productive.

2.     Today’s first and gospel readings address hunger. Elisha fed 100 people with 20 barley loaves. His servant did not understand how that could be possible. But Elisha relied on and trusted in God and his word and thus a miracle became possible. We must give what we have to God, trusting that he can work a miracle with it to his greater glory. What we have is a gift from God; he will accept what we give him to better the lives of others. In the gospel, Christ fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Christ used the contribution of the young man who was willing to give what he had to him so that he could use it to feed others. We see in this the foretaste of the heavenly banquet, that describes God’s care for humanity.

3.     Though the readings describe how people were fed, we should not see this as a provision of material food for our bodies alone. God can use others to feed his people. He tells us that those who are charitable will be rewarded with eternal life, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” (Mt. 25:34-36). The readings rather refer to our spiritual hunger that only God can satisfy. Only God can fulfill our souls’ desires and satiates our thirst. Eat my flesh and drink my blood and you will live forever. There are many rich people who have more than enough money and the material things of this world and yet are not happy. There seems to be an opening in their hearts that only God can fill. They must seek God who can guarantee their happiness. And so, the Psalmist tells us “The hand of the Lord feeds us, he answers all our needs. The eyes of all look hopefully to you, and you give them their food in due season; you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Ps. 145).  

4.     Material fulfillment of our needs is temporal. Like Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jn. 4:13-14). This is what the bread of life offers us - everlasting fulfillment of our needs. And so, like the Samaritan woman, we beg Christ, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” (Jn. 4:15). The food that Christ gives will strengthen us on our pilgrim journey here on earth. For it is not a mere meal but spiritual food – His Body and Blood. This is what we celebrate at Mass every day. Christ reminds us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (Jn. 6:51). It does not matter the number of people who are hungry, the food prepared by Christ, after giving thanks, will be enough for everyone and there will be leftovers.

5.     Like Christ broke the bread of his body and shared among many, may we too become the bread that is broken to feed others. We pray that we may live “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:1-6). And when we receive Christ in the Eucharist may we recognize that it is his Body, Blood, and Divinity that we receive for our salvation and for the redemption of the world. Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.