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| “The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes” by Lambert Lombard, c. 1550 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
On this mountain the LORD of
hosts
will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and
choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure,
choice wines.
On this mountain he will
destroy
the veil that veils all
peoples,
The web that is woven over
all nations;
he will destroy death
forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he
will remove
from the whole earth; for the
Lord has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we
looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we
looked;
let us rejoice and be glad
that he has saved us!”
For the hand of the LORD will
rest on this mountain.
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Commentary on Is 25:6-10a
Isaiah once more envisions the messianic kingdom where there is no
enmity between peoples, there is not want, and the whole world rejoices in that
great peace. This reading is favored at funeral liturgies because of its image
of the heavenly kingdom. There is a clear sense of anticipation appropriate for
the Advent season as the second coming is looked for as well as the Lord’s
Nativity.
The Prophet Isaiah has, in the previous chapter, started a
discourse about the apocalypse, predicting the destruction of Israel. In this
hymn he now envisions the salvation God will provide for the faithful. The
imagery used in this psalm, the Lord’s banquet, coupled with clear references
to the messianic promises (“…he will
destroy death forever.”) and the idea that God will come in the end with
salvation will be remembered later at the Last Supper (see Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, and Luke 22:18). The eternal
nature of the invitation to participate in this banquet is clear as is the
universal nature of the call (“…the Lord
of hosts will provide for all peoples.”).
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R. (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all
the days of my life.
The LORD is my shepherd; I
shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives
me repose;
Beside restful waters he
leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. I shall live in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the
dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are
at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. I shall live in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life.
You spread the table before
me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. I shall live in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness
follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the
house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. I shall live in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life.
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Commentary on Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Psalm 23 is one of the most
familiar in the entire psalter. “God's loving care for the psalmist is
portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm 23:1-4) and a host's
generosity toward a guest (Psalm
23:5-6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the
exodus (Isaiah 40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah 31:10).”[4] While the theme of Shepherd is
mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really speaks to the peace given to
those who follow the Lord and place their trust in Him, even into the “dark valley”.
The reference in the third
strophe above “You spread the table
before me in the sight of my foes” “occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies
watch: my enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed
ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).”[5]
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At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of
Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and
sat down there.
Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame,
the blind, the deformed, the mute,
and many others.
They placed them at his feet,
and he cured them.
The crowds were amazed when
they saw the mute speaking,
the deformed made whole,
the lame walking,
and the blind able to see,
and they glorified the God of
Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples
and said,
“My heart is moved with pity
for the crowd,
for they have been with me
now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them
away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on
the way.”
The disciples said to him,
“Where could we ever get
enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?”
Jesus said to them, “How many
loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied, “and a
few fish.”
He ordered the crowd to sit
down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves
and the fish,
gave thanks, broke the
loaves,
and gave them to the
disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were
satisfied.
They picked up the fragments
left over–seven baskets full.
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Commentary on Mt 15:29-37
Jesus is continuing the healing
ministry. These actions were referred to earlier as the Lord explained to
the disciples of John the Baptist in Matthew 11:4-5. Jesus quoted an earlier pronouncement as a reference to
Isaiah's prophecy indicating actions to be expected of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5ff). Jesus comes as an agent of forgiveness and
healing - explicit evidence of God's love.
Next follows Matthew's account of
the multiplication of the loaves which is a doublet of the story found in Matthew 14:13-21. In this
story, however, Jesus takes the initiative instead of the disciples and the
crowd has been with him three days. We see a good deal of Hebrew numerology in
this story. The three days the crowd has been with him, three having literary
significance in addition to the three days in the tomb, we find ancient Hebrew
words used three times signify the most profound usage (ie. great, great, great
is equivalent to great, greater, greatest). The use of seven loaves and baskets
of fragments with seven being the most perfect number indicates the fullness of
the event.
We also see the significant
Eucharistic implications of this event as Jesus provides a miracle to satisfy
the crowd in the breaking of the bread. Placed as it is, immediately following
the description of how he was healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and
making the lame walk, we are given a vision of the fulfillment of Messiah’s
mission as predicted by Hebrew Prophets.
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Reflection:
As the stress of the holiday
season begins to build in many of us, we pause to examine why we feel stress
when we should really be feeling peace.
Scripture from Isaiah describes the heavenly banquet and the idyllic
universal peace of the Lord’s Table.
From the earliest times it is clear that the Heavenly Father, not unlike
a natural parent, wants only happiness for his Children. Regardless of the circumstances, rich or poor
the happiness that comes from the freedom from want is the fondest wish of
God. It is eloquently expressed in Psalm
23; this peace and freedom comes only from faith in an omnipotent and loving
Father who keeps us from all harm.
In St. Matthew’s Gospel the
Lord feeds the multitudes just as God feeds us.
He feeds our souls with the Word that brings peace; he feeds our spirits
with his Body and Blood in the Eucharist, which endows us with heavenly grace
and opening that path to peace. There is
more than a miracle that takes place on this mountain side described by St. Matthew,
much more. The Love of God overflows the
bounds of heaven and is poured out upon those who gather in his worldly
presence. Even though they do not know
it, they must feel the peace of the Lord as they recline in that place made
holy by his presence.
We come back then to why we
feel the stress of this season.
Some feel stress because of a
loss; the loss of a loved one, keenly remembered in the celebrations of which
they were so much a part. The Lord bids
us be at peace, those who have gone before us in faith remain with us as we
celebrate God’s gift of himself. Those who have separated themselves from us
must deal with the consequences of their decisions – for our part we must look
to God’s love and the peace that flows from forgiveness.
Some feel stress because of
financial pressures; the difficulty of merely making ends meet let alone buying
gifts for the children or those who expect gifts in this season of giving. The Lord bids us be at peace. We can only affect those things over which we
have control. The rest we must leave to
God and have faith that the Father who gave his children the greatest gift ever
given will find a way to make sure his peace reigns during this season of
peace.
Some feel stress because of
all that must be done in such a short time or because of conflicting
obligations. The Lord bids us to be at
peace – there is only one thing that is important and that is to recall that he
came to reveal the love of the Father and the peace that faith in his love will
bring.
Most important for us today
is to hear the Word of God and know that he wants only our happiness. His most fervent desire is the joy that comes
from his love and loving Him in return. It
is our prayer today that God’s love will bring us the peace for which we all
yearn.
Pax
[2]
The picture is “The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes” by Lambert Lombard, c.
1550
[3]
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
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB footnote on Psalm 23
[5]
ibid
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