Good Friday by Ermes Dovico

GOSPEL PEARLS

We live in a continuous miracle

He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. (Matthew 14, 19)

Gospel Pearls 02_08_2020

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14: 13-21)

When we consider Jesus’s multiplication of the loaves, we cannot fail to acknowledge that this act is a miracle. Yet if we think about it, there is another miracle found in the fact that many seeds can be born from a single seed planted in the ground (thanks to the spike of wheat originating from that initial seed). In fact, it is not mankind that gives birth to a new life, (e.g. a son) but it is God who miraculously intervenes. So we live in a continuous miracle. The problem is that we hardly ever think about it. We should, therefore, discover a child’s sense of wonder by observing how nature is reborn and grows. And with this same amazement, we will be able to approach with greater faith the miracle that is repeated at every Mass when bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. This is certainly not because of the priest's special abilities or holiness, but because of God who, if anything, "uses" him as an instrument.