God's love in abundance and thanking God for gift's given to us - 17th Sunday Ordinary Time

This past week I had the opportunity to go to Northern Canada on a fishing trip.   Now I’m not greatest fisherman.  Usually I spend a lot of time fishing and don’t do a lot of catching.   Most of the time I have a story to tell about the one that got away and the fish the family gets to eat is from the seafood counter at Meijer.   But this trip was a little different.  It was on a lake in a remote area of Canada and the only one in Ontario that requires a special fishing permit.   Very few people are able to fish the lake so it has very little pressure on it.  Our group of 9 guys was able to catch over 700 fish.  This was truly a fishing trip that produced fish in abundance.

Today’s Gospel on miracle of the multiplication of the loaves is one that is very familiar.  I’d like to focus on how a small gift of the five loaves and two fish was able to produce an abundance to feed many by giving thanks to God and through the divine power of Jesus.

In the story the people follow Jesus because they’ve heard about the miraculous healings, and they wanted to see it for themselves.   Some probably longed for a healing themselves. In his compassion Jesus anticipates the needs of the people.  He knows they’ve come out to see him in a remote area away from their homes and marketplace, and they will surely be hungry.

Jesus wanted to teach his disciples by testing them to solve the problem of feeding all the people. Philip answers in his limited human viewpoint:  It would be over a half years worth of wages to feed them all. Andrew offers a small token to solve the problem: a boy with five loaves and two fishes and states, “but what good are these to feed so many”.  The disciples find little hope in being able to feed so many.

Don’t we all feel at some times like the disciples?   We can be totally overwhelmed by a problem that seems impossible to handle on our own.  We may have problems that cause us grief such as:

Being able to pay the monthly mortgage payment due to a job less or medical expenses;

Being on a fixed income and have to cut back on medications in order to buy food;  

Struggling with a severely broken relationship with a spouse or friend that seems unable to be reconciled;

Facing life threatening medical issue;

Grieving a loss of a loved one;

Concerns about all the people suffering from persecution, hunger, and homelessness may distress us as well.

When we’re faced with problems like these on our own it can be overwhelming. 

Jesus’ response to the disciple’s problem was to have the people recline so they could be served a meal.  He was going to use his divine power to feed all the people who came to see him. He uses the gifts from the boy of the five loaves and two fish to perform the miracle of the multiplication to feed the multitude.

Jesus does something very important with these gifts that may have been easily overlooked in hearing this Gospel.  He gives thanks to God.  What seems to be a limited amount is multiplied into an abundance to feed the multitudes through God’s grace. After the people were fed there was so much left over that twelve baskets were filled.  This is truly a symbol of the abundance of God’s love and mercy. 

When we’re faced with our own problems we have the comfort to know that Jesus has compassion for our needs and wants to help us.  We’re not alone in our struggles.   If we turn to Jesus in prayer and through the church we’ll have the love and support to help us through our struggles.  

Jesus offers us a good example to follow by giving thanks to God for the gifts he has given us.    Many times when faced with a problem it can be all consuming and it’s easy to get discouraged.   But if we take the time to assess the gifts in our lives and then give thanks to God it can help make the problem seem like less of an issue.  

What are the gifts we have to be thankful for? 

Our faith, family, friends;

Our talents, education, and job;

Our health care provides and caregivers who help us;

Our health, a free country to live in, and a planet with resources to supply our needs;  

Our church, the ability to practice or faith, and receive Jesus in the Eucharist.

I’m sure you may have others to add and may be lacking in some things I mentioned.  But if you take some time to think about the things in your life to be thankful for it can sure help.  

The fishing trip I went on was a great experience and a lot of fun, but there was one very important thing missing.  Due to the remoteness of the area there were no church within a 100 miles.  I was not able to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist.  It was something I longed for and missed.  I did take some time on Sunday in prayer to dedicate to God.  In doing so I was able to thank God for my family, job, and safety, and most of all for the gift of the Eucharist.  I’m glad to be back and receive the Eucharist with you all today.

As Mass continues we’ll have an opportunity to offer thanks for the gifts God has given us.  Many of us will offer financial gifts to support the needs of our church, food for our food pantry, or school supplies for fast track.  As these gifts are offered also think about the blessings that God has given us and offer them up in gratitude to God.  It doesn’t have to be anything grand.   It can be as simple as thanking God for the meal you’ll have tonight, which may be just bread and fish. The offerings of bread and wine represent the gifts we’ve offered to God, which will be turned into the greatest gift of all: The Eucharist.   The Eucharist, which means thanksgiving, is our Lord Jesus present in his flesh and blood.  It’s the spiritual food that’s offered to us in abundance each and every week.  It’s the source to give us strength we need to help us through our struggles in our daily lives.  God bless you.