Homily

The crowd is very large that has gathered to hear and see Jesus. There are many thousands of people who have probably spent a number of hours listening to Jesus teaching, and those who were sick were healed by His hand. It's time for dinner but Jesus refuses to dismiss the crowds to go into the towns and buy some food. Five loaves and a few fish are blessed by Him and the multitude is miraculously fed and fed so well that 12 large baskets of bread pieces are left over.

It is interesting and important that St. Matthew places this story in his gospel immediately after the famous birthday banquet of King Herod and the death of John the Baptist. At Herod's banquet there is pride, arrogance, scheming and plotting, lavish indulgence in food and drink, even a murder—all taking place in a royal palace. But at Jesus' banquet, out in a deserted place, there is simple but adequate food, there is healing, trust, sharing and faith. If, so to speak, we had invitations to both banquets, which one would we have chosen to attend?

This story of the multiplication of the loaves has an element of mystery in it, or with it: how exactly did that bread multiply itself so that it could feed many thousands of people? We could get lost in that detail and still never know for sure just exactly how the miracle took place. It is sure that Matthew, in telling us this story, is pointing towards another event that will happen after when Jesus will feed His disciples not with loaves of bread, but with His own Body and Blood, under the appearance of bread and wine. And how exactly that happens, apart from priest and altar and Christ Himself is a miracle we cannot completely understand. It is a real even, a genuine banquet, a true sacrifice, where Jesus Himself is our food and our drink for the remission of our sins and unto life everlasting.

Every Eucharist is a miraculous event because something happens that cannot be explained by any law of nature, but only by the power of God. At every Liturgy bread and wine become the Body ad Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We all believe that. But I think the problem can be that it is difficult to fully comprehend that, to remember that, to be completely focused on that truth, to greet the Lord with sincere hearts and genuine devotion, to see Him with the eyes of faith and to carry Him with us as our Lord and God. It is not always so easy for us to welcome Him Who looks like bread and wine.

Let me put it another way: If Jesus were standing here today, in the flesh, and He asked us all to come up so that He could lay His hands on us, what would our thoughts and our attitudes be while we were waiting our turn in line? "Oh look at how cute that baby is! I wonder what I should make for dinner. I gotta remember to get those brakes looked at. I am so tired!" I suspect we would probably have different thoughts in our heads as we stood in line to be touched by the Lord. But when we receive the Holy Eucharist, we are not only touched by Him, we take Him within ourselves.

I think of the millions of people in our country who are baptized in the Church and yet rarely, infrequently, or even never come to the Eucharist, come to take Christ. There are some who have never been taught what it is, there are some who do not believe what it is, but I think the largest group is perhaps those who do not care what it is. To be able to receive the Lord in Holy Communion is just not that important in their lives. Christ is just not that important in their lives, and so it's not surprising that the Eucharist is not seen as important. We all know people who fall into this category. We all know people who consider this blessed sacrament unimportant to their lives. And I feel sad even as I think of this, of Who they are missing.

I am not here to preach to those who are not here. That would be easier but not very productive. Only we can show those who are not here the value of this most sacred encounter with Christ. Only we can show them the great importance and the life-creating power of these holy, divine and immortal mysteries, and we do that by allowing Him Who we receive to change us—to make us like Him, to help us become better disciples so that others will see Him in us. We may not be able to easily convince others of the power of the Eucharist simply by talking with them, but if we live as people who meet with Jesus every Sunday that is a truly powerful witness in faith. We can't guarantee results, but that should never influence our willingness to witness.

It's not so easy for us to approach the Lord as we should. We are easily distracted, our faith may not be strong, we get lost in our routines, our thoughts can become jumbled and our emotions can pull and push us. Even so, let us make every effort to gather ourselves together and be prepared to meet the Lord as we approach the Holy Chalice. And then, when we receive, let us not to fail to greet the Savior Who is willing to come to us so humbly. Then let us carry Him with us for our own healing and life, and as a witness to those who are not here today, that they may see the Lord at work within us.

Dear Friends we often think of miracles as something so extraordinary that we are unlikely to ever see one. But I remind you that there is a genuine miracle at every altar in the world whenever the Divine Liturgy is served. May we never become bored or indifferent to these Sacred Mysteries, but instead ever more attentive and focused and truly welcome the King of All, invisibly escorted by hosts of Angels, today and always.