In today’s first reading God invites all who are hungry or thirsty to receive food and drink without cost. Jesus feeds the hungry multitude and reveals the abundance of God. At the eucharistic table we remember all who are hungry or poor in our world today. As we share the bread of life, we are sent forth to give ourselves away as bread for the hungry.
This Sunday, we hear the only miracle of Jesus’ ministry that is recorded in all 4 Gospels: his feeding of 5000 men (+ women & children) with only 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus has compassion for the crowd, even though he was trying to get away for some time alone after being rejected by his hometown and hearing the bad news of King Herod executing John the Baptist. He rebuffs his own disciples’ desire to “send the crowd away” so they can go buy food for themselves. Instead, he speaks powerful words that echo to us, still 2000 years later, “You give them something to eat!” We behold how the power of God transforms what we think is so insufficient into an abundance for all!