The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2024)
“Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.”
—John 6:11
Several years ago, I developed a series of classes on the Ten Commandments. While that might seem fairly straight forward, the sessions were actually an exploration of the Church’s moral teachings and many of the social issues that confront us today, including environmental stewardship and the care of creation, the rights of workers, acts of violence and terror, family dynamics, and personal responsibility. The conversations that took place during and after the classes were often intense, matching the serious topics we were exploring.
More than once, participants in the class voiced their frustration by exclaiming, “It’s overwhelming. There’s so much that needs to be done. What difference could I make?” This is certainly a feeling that I’ve shared. Even a quick scroll through our news feeds can make the most confident among us feel powerless, even though we know that we should be doing something to try to promote justice and peace.
In the Gospel proclaimed this Sunday, Jesus and the Apostles also face a seemingly hopeless situation: how will they provide enough food for the thousands of people who have followed Jesus?
Philip sums up the challenge when we he exclaims that “two hundred days wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little” (v. 7).
And yet, this passage quickly shows us that God’s compassion isn’t bound by our limited perspectives. When Andrew brings Jesus a boy carrying five small barley loaves and two fish, Jesus performs one of his greatest miracles by taking what the little boy had and transforming it into an abundant meal. Not only was there enough food to feed the immense crowd, but there were twelve baskets of food left over after everyone had eaten. As Saint Augustine of Hippo reflected in a sermon he preached on this wonderful sign:
“Who is even now providing nourishment for the whole world if not the God who creates a field of wheat from a few seeds? Christ did what God does. Just as God multiplies a few seeds into a whole field of wheat, Christ multiplied the five loaves in his hands… Those loaves were like seeds, not because they were cast upon the earth but because they were multiplied by the one who made the earth”.
A lesson that we can draw from this Sunday’s Gospel is that God can transform the little we have to offer into something greater than we might ever imagine. Jesus shows us that while there are very real needs that must be confronted, God’s abundance is available for everyone and that we all have a part to play by offering our “loaves and fishes.” When we entrust gifts—our prayers, our sacrifices, and charitable giving—into God’s hands, there will be enough for everyone.
O God, protector of those who hope in you,
without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance your mercy upon us
and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good things that pass
in such a way as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Collect for the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
