May Jesus Christ be
praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.
It was more than a meal
on the side of the mountain. It was so
much more than a meal. The Lord Jesus
fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish. It was more than a meal on the side of the
mountain. It was so much more than a
meal.
The people who followed
Jesus to that mountain followed him for different reasons. Some followed him because they were
curious. Many followed him because they
were seeking a cure for their sickness.
Some followed Jesus because he had directly called them to follow him. And some followed him because there might be
free food. There were many different
reasons that people followed Jesus. But
whatever their reason for following, they received more than a meal on the side
of the mountain. On the side of the
mountain they encountered the God who fed them with his own hands.
And with five loaves
and two fish, and the blessing of the Lord Jesus, five thousand men were
fed. Five thousand men were fed with a
meal that was prepared for five. It was
a miracle of abundance. Not only were
each of the five thousand fed, but there were twelve baskets of fragments left
over after the meal. There were twelve
baskets of fragments remaining after the meal.
There were twelve baskets of fragments that were gathered by the apostles. The Lord Jesus was very concerned about the
fragments that remained so that nothing would be lost. Everything that the Lord provided was to be
protected, cared for, and shared. The
Lord Jesus instructed his disciples to gather the fragments so that every
blessing of the Lord would be received.
The fragments are precious to the Lord Jesus, and it’s the job of the
disciples to gather the fragments.
These fragments are
blessed by the Lord Jesus. In fact,
these fragments are the result of a miracle.
And the disciples of Jesus are told to gather the fragments. This is the sacred task entrusted by the Lord
to the disciples. It is their
responsibility to gather the fragments.
And it is our
responsibility to gather the fragments.
As disciples of the Lord Jesus, it is our responsibility to gather the
fragments. But the fragments that we
gather, the fruit of creation and the blessing of God, are the baptized
children of God who no longer practice the faith. The fragments, which are so precious to the
Lord, are our children and godchildren, our brothers and sisters, our friends and
our neighbors, who no longer join us for the celebration of the miracle of the
Eucharist. These are the fragments that
the Lord calls us to gather. These are
the precious ones who have once received the blessing of Jesus Christ and need
to be gathered together by the loving hands of the disciples.
Strengthened by the
Eucharist and commanded by the Lord, let us together
gather the precious fragments in our community and bring them to the Kingdom of
God.
Preached
at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
