Cycle A

Good News A36

Five Loaves and Two Fish

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 14:13-21 New American Bible

Matthew 14:13-21 Bible Gateway New International Version

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing,

broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples,

who in turn gave them to the crowds.

When Jesus heard his cousin, John the Baptist was killed, he went off to a boat to be by himself. Crowds of people were saddened by this and wanted to be near Jesus to show their sadness, too. They had loved John, too. Imagine 5,000 people who just came to be with him. Some of them were sick. Jesus felt compassion for them and cured them. Then when it got to be late in the day, Jesus wanted to feed the crowds. All the disciples could find was one little boy who had five loaves of bread and two fish. After Jesus blessed the five loaves of bread and the two fish, he gave them to his disciples. Then his disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone had enough to eat and for leftovers there were twelve wicker baskets filled with bread and fish. Jesus had performed another miracle. He had made the fish and bread multiply.

What would have happened if the little boy had chosen to keep all of it for himself? What would have happened if he had chosen to hide all of his food because he was afraid he wouldn’t have enough to eat himself? But the little boy didn’t choose to be selfish. He chose to share with others. When you do something good for others, it works just like the miracle of the fishes. It starts a chain of thousands of good acts that is never ending. When you share what you have with others, God rewards you by giving you back much more than what you had. If you give away apples, what comes back to you may not be apples. It may mean you get someone to help you with your homework. If you give away, nickels to the needy, you may get back nickels, but you might get the skills you need to hit the baseball farther out in the field. If you have one candy bar, and you share half of it with your brother or sister, you have half a candy bar plus this warm feeling from sharing. The people that you helped have a good warm feeling because you care about them. Then they do a kind act to show they care for another person. It keeps going around the world. Then when you need something, God sends someone to help give it to you. It goes full circle. That’s how the saying, “What goes around, comes around.” It means how you treat others is how they are going to treat you. It is also like the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When you are kind and generous to others, they will be kind and generous to you. God sends his love to you so you can share it with others!

Pray the “Our Father” and thank God for life. Thank him for giving you smiles, words, food, clothing, and shelter to share with others.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”

Copyright ©2002, 2004 Joan Y. Edwards