17th Sunday B
Jn.6:1-15
Jesus Reaches out to our Hearts

When Jesus raised His eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we get enough food for them to eat?”(Jn.6: 5)

An old folk adage says, “The shortest way to a man’s heart is through the stomach.” Somehow, it is safe to say that this is what Jesus did. He reached out to the people’s heart through their stomachs. As a large crowd of people followed Him because of the miraculous sight they saw when He healed the sick, He noticed that these people were hungry and they needed to be fed. However, all they had was five loaves and two fish. Nevertheless, Jesus had them sat down to rest. Then He took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish and gave them as much as they wanted. With these, Jesus reached out to their hearts with a sign that they could immediately understand i.e. feeding them. In feeding the five thousand, Jesus would like to tell not only the people but also His disciples that there was nothing to fear, and that there was power in faith and trust. Let us recall how Philip was arguing with Jesus because two hundred pieces of silver would not buy enough bread for each of them to have enough pieces. Andrew too was cynical on what good five loaves and two fish were for so many. Jesus, however, fed them more than what they could eat.

Like these disciples we too find ourselves in situations where we become skeptical. There are times when we feel challenged by a circumstance beyond our capacity. Sometimes we are put in a fearful or terrifying situation. We lose our confidence and hope. Jesus feeding the five thousand, however, tells us that even in our incapability or inadequacy, He is there to help, strengthen, sustain and empower us. Think back on the many challenges that we have encountered in our lives, the many storms that passed along our way, the difficult tests and trials that beset us. In spite of all our life’s tribulations we are still here. This is because God is here to help us.

There were two friends who set out on a journey. They took a donkey, a torch, and a rooster. One of the men was deeply religious while the other was a skeptic. On their journey, the religious one would always say that God is good. Shortly after the dusk, the two arrived in a village where they sought a place to sleep but no one offered them a night’s lodging. They traveled mile outside the town when they decided to sleep. The skeptic said sarcastically, “I thought you said God is good.” The friend said, “God decided that this is the best place for us to sleep tonight.” They tethered the donkey about 30 yards away, and as they lighted their torch, they heard a horrible noise: a lion had just killed their donkey. They climbed to the tree to stay away from the danger. “You say God is good?” said the skeptic. “If the lion had not eaten the donkey he would have attacked us. God is good,” said the companion. Then the wild cat attacked their rooster and a few minutes later the wind blew their torch. The skeptic said sarcastically, “It seems the goodness of God is working overtime this evening.” This time the believer was silent. The next morning when they walked back to the village to get food they learned that bandits have robbed the entire village of its possessions. The man of faith turned to his friend and said, “Now things have become clear. Had we been given a room in the village we would have been robbed along with the others. If the wind did not blow the torch the bandits could have discovered us. It is clear that in all things God is good.”

God reaches out to our hearts through many unrecognized miracles so that we may have faith and trust in Him.