Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links[1 

CCC 1335: The miracle of the loaves and fishes prefigures the Eucharist
CCC 814-815, 949-959: Sharing of gifts in the communion of the Church

"Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes”
by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1670

Readings for Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary:[4]
 
Reading 1: 2 Kings 4:42-44
 
A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of God,
twenty barley loaves made from the firstfruits,
and fresh grain in the ear.
Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”
But his servant objected,
“How can I set this before a hundred people?”
Elisha insisted, “Give it to the people to eat.”
“For thus says the LORD,
'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’”
And when they had eaten, there was some left over,
as the LORD had said.
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Commentary on 2 Kgs 4:42-44
 
The story of the multiplication of the loaves from 2 Kings is part of a series of miraculous events attributed to the Prophet Elisha by his disciples.  This section (2 Kings 4: 1 – 8: 15) is known as the “Fioretti of Elisha” similar to the “Fioretti (popular legends) about St. Francis of Assisi.”
 
In this passage Elisha is in Gilgal and there is a famine in the land.  He is presented with barley loaves from the first fruits of the harvest and instructs his servant to feed one hundred people with the loaves. This is done over the servant’s objections that there would not be enough.  As predicted by the prophet, there was more than enough.  This event prefigures the later account of Jesus feeding the multitudes (as below in John 6:1-15 as well as Mark 6:34-44, Luke 9:10-17, Matthew 14:13-21 and Matthew 15:32-39), a demonstration of God’s love and mercy.
 
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Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
 
R. (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
 
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
 
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
 
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
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Commentary on Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
 
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes call on the faithful to give thanks to God for opening the gates of his Heavenly Kingdom. The second strophe is a clear reference to the ancient promise in 2 Kings 4:42-44 and the future promise of God feeding the poor in John 6:1-15. They continue praising God for his justice and his creating hand.
 
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Reading II: Ephesians 4:1-6
 
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
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Commentary on Eph 4:1-6
 
St. Paul begins this chapter of his letter to the Ephesians with an exhortation to live (walk) in unity with each other. The theological foundation (the "mystery" of Christ - the calling of all men, Gentiles and Jews, to form a single people, the Church) laid down in the previous parts of the letter is now translated into the need to act upon that reality. The apostle's plea for unity uses the litany of bonds that bring Christian unity: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one baptism, and one God and Father.
 
"To show the importance of unity in the Church, and the theological basis of that unity, St Paul quotes an acclamation which may well have been taken from early Christian baptismal liturgy. It implies that the unity of the Church derives from the unicity of the divine essence. The text also reflects the three persons of the Blessed Trinity who are at work in the Church and who keep it together – one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father." [5]
 
CCC: Eph 4-6 1454; Eph 4-5 1971; Eph 4:2 2219; Eph 4:3-5 866; Eph 4:3 814; Eph 4:4-6 172, 249, 2790
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Gospel:
John 6:1-15
 
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes
and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip,
“Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves
that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
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Commentary on Jn 6:1-15
 
This selection from St. John is the fourth sign from his Gospel, the multiplication of the loaves. It is the only miracle story carried in all four Gospels, and closely follows the synoptic Gospels (Mark 6:34-44, Luke 9:10-17, Matthew 14:13-21 and Matthew 15:32-39) in most details.
 
We see in this passage the strong reference to the Eucharist as well as a demonstration of God’s great love and mercy. More subtle is the reference to feeding the poor. Barley loaves were traditionally the fare of the poor. It is also interesting to note that, in the Jerusalem translation, the Lord “escaped” into the hills at the end of the story. This implied that the people were immediately aware of the great sign he had facilitated.
 
CCC: Jn 6 1338; Jn 6:5-15 549; Jn 6:15 439, 559
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Reflection:
 
“God feeds his people” is the one-phrase summary of what Scripture says to us today.  In the story from 2 Kings, we see the great Prophet Elisha feeding a hundred people with the first fruits of the harvest.  The story presented to the early Hebrew peoples would have been a testament to the prophet’s favor with God.  We further note that he takes no credit for this event.  Rather he says simply “For thus says the Lord, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’” This formula “Thus says the Lord” is a common reference within prophetic literature for a prediction or a prediction fulfillment story.
 
The sparse details of the setting for this event contrast with the Gospel account from St. John in which the Lord feeds the multitude with five barley loaves and two fishes.  Here the motive and setting are well established and the symbolism of the action on Jesus’ part is compelling.  God, in Jesus, recognized the need of the people.  St. John’s account, committed to paper after long theological reflection, presumes that Christ knew what he was about to do.  The people are fed after the Lord first blesses the food.
 
These acts of God feeding the people are at once both miraculous and predictive in themselves.  God continues to feed us.  The offer is there, like manna provided in the desert (Exodus 16:4ff), for us to take – freely offered in unconditional love only fully possible in the Savior.  In our lives this food takes many forms.  It comes to us in the form of the Eucharist; real bread transubstantiated into Jesus’ resurrected body and blood.  In this spiritual meal we are fed with the sacramental grace that strengthens us and prepares us to continue our journey toward the Father.
 
He feeds us in other ways that are not quite so obviously linked to the symbolism in the Scripture passages we have heard.  He feeds us with the very word that describes his love and concern.  In Sacred Scripture he reveals himself to us.  Like a great artist who molds clay into exquisite art, the inspired words of Scripture describe the wonders of God’s creation, his mercy, and his love for us.  In understanding the Word, we find the Word made flesh in the completeness of his revelation.
 
Finally, he feeds us with his very presence in prayer.  His great consolation comes to us in times of need and we feel his abiding presence as he buoys us up in times of distress and magnifies our joy when we are happy.  He feeds the soul in this way, and we grow in faith and understanding as a result of prayer.
 
God feeds us!  But, as the old saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water….”  We are offered so much from God but ultimately it is up to us to accept what is offered.  Our acceptance constitutes a bond with God: In order for the food he offers to be efficacious, we must allow him to direct our lives along wholesome paths.  His gentle yoke guides us to eternal life.
 
Pax
 
In other years: July 25 Feast of Saint James, Apostle
 

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The image used is "Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1670.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Letters of St. Paul, The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2003, p. 391.