Working within a secular, state university environment, I’ve encountered some truly unique and unexpected experiences that have often pushed me to be more flexible and accommodating than I ever thought possible.  For instance, during a Commencement ceremony years ago, I was invited to be part of the graduation celebration.  Initially, I assumed they were asking me to offer a prayer, a request that wouldn’t be out of place even at a state institution.  To my surprise, I was humbled when in fact, not, they just wanted me to assist as an usher, guiding graduates into the stadium.  Similarly, when the University asked if I would serve as an advisr to a group of fraternity brothers — well, I can’t begin to recount how that didn’t go anywhere near what I expected it to be – that’s a story in itself… I could write a book about those guys.  Despite these roles not aligning with my initial expectations, each experience became a chance to connect with students, faculty, and staff in a lot of meaningful ways so in hindsight I was grateful to the fact that they didn’t go as I had expected.

Thanks so much for stopping by to read this homily for the 17th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, July 28, 2024.  I appreciate your sharing this on your social media posts and your feedback and comments…  I’m also grateful for all those who’ve asked for the audio version and share them as well at SOUNDCLOUD click HERE or from ITUNES as a podcast HERE.  May the Lord be glorified in your reading and sharing- Father Jim

One area that has proven more challenging is participating in interfaith dialogues and discussions.  Overall, they can be interesting and productive, especially hearing from Jewish and Muslim students about their beliefs and traditions and how these impact everything from their dress to their food.  It’s also interesting when students from no religious tradition ask questions, like why I’m Catholic and different things they’re curious about regarding the priesthood, such as why, priests aren’t married.

But I was surprised to find was that some of the most difficult conversations I’ve had were with fellow Christians.  One incident that stands out is when a Protestant minister, was trying to present Jesus as a “good moral teacher” in order to connect with people of other faiths or no faith at all.  She proposed that “we’re all on different paths to the same destination.” And as an example, talked about the virtues of generosity, charity, and attending to the poor that could be found in different faith traditions before circling back to this Gospel passage we had just heard.  Where she interpreted the story of the feeding of the multitudes as a message about sharing, suggesting that the real “miracle” was people sharing the food they had with one another.  According to her, Jesus challenging Philip and the apostles to find food themselves, is what prompted a little boy to come forward and share his food, causing others who had brought something to do the same, resulting in all being marvelously fed.

I’ve been in controversial conversations on campus – explaining Church teaching on why marriage is only possible between a man and a woman or the sanctity of the unborn child in a womb – I know how the culture and the world around us feel about those things, so I was usually prepared for those to be difficult conversations.  I never imagined this conversation about the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes turning into one of the most controversial debates in my years there.  For sure, there are Gospel mandates about taking care of the poor, the homeless, and taking care of people in need.  And I tried to use those as a way of being agreeable with this minister.  But having students in this room, including some from our Catholic group, I couldn’t let this misreading of the Gospel go unchallenged.  Regrettably, this turned into an intense debate and led to her “unfriending” on Facebook… which in our modern era is one of the ultimate of insults.  Somehow I survived.

Yet, such debates highlight an essential truth: our understanding of Jesus must remain firmly rooted in the full revelation of who He is, not making Him into something we want Him to be.  To fit into what might be acceptable to the world around us.  While there are times to be diplomatic – misinterpreting and misleading people about Jesus and the Gospels is not one of them.  I understand that for her and her denomination, they treat Jesus as a “good moral teacher” and want to rationally explain things and reduce everything into mere human lessons.  And that’s definitely a view you will find where people advocate that all religions are basically the same.

But they’re not.  Jesus isn’t the same as Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius, or any other notable philosophical or religious figures.

This spectacular miracle in which Jesus is able to accomplish the remarkable feat of feeding over 5,000 families with 5 loaves and 2 fish highlights that fact.  Providing the foundation to our faith that He is the Son of God.  And as the great Christian writer C.S. Lewis puts it, Jesus is either who He says He is, or a crazy, lunatic liar, which would be the furthest thing from a good moral teacher.   There is no in between…  This miracle is just more evidence that He is who He says He is, and is the beginning of some more spectacular things to come.   Which is going to be our focus at Sunday Mass for the next 5 weeks.

This Sunday, we will begin a five-week journey through the 6th Chapter of the Gospel of John.  We are moving away from the continuous reading of Mark which we’ve basically been doing since December, to delve deeper into one of the most profound teachings of Jesus.  Mark’s Gospel, being the shortest, provides the Church with the opportunity to explore the richness of John’s account.  Last week, you might remember, we saw Jesus and the apostles retreating for rest, only to find the crowds were waiting for them on the other side of the lake looking, waiting and hoping to see Jesus.  Jesus, moved by compassion, began to teach them.  That’s where St. John in His Gospel picks up today.

The miracle of feeding the five thousand is not a story of generosity but a powerful revelation of Jesus’ divine identity and mission.  Jesus takes five loaves and two fish and feeds a multitude, demonstrating God as our ultimate provider.  This miracle is not just about physical nourishment but signifies Jesus’ role as the one who abundantly provides for our deepest needs, both spiritual and material.   Which are notable in 4 different ways:

First, the feeding of the five thousand demonstrates Jesus’ role as the provider for all our needs.  Just as He satisfied the crowd’s physical hunger, He offers us spiritual nourishment in the Eucharist, which we will reflect on in the coming weeks.  In Christ, we find more than enough to satisfy our deepest longings.

Second, while last Sunday we heard how Jesus’ heart was moved with compassion for the crowds because they seemed like “sheep without a shepherd.” The Gospel of John reveals Jesus’ compassion for the crowd is far more intimate and personal: His deep care for each individual.   He doesn’t just care for crowds of people, humanity in general – but has a personal intimate care for each and everyone o fus.  He cares about you and me, our immediate hungers and, even more importantly, our deeper spiritual needs.

Thirdly, while we’ve seen Jesus perform miracles in a lot of various ways.  Sometimes He doesn’t need to even be present, or does things in private one on one with the person He is taking care of.  This time, though, He intentionally uses the disciples and this young boy’s humble offering.  Jesus transforms this small contribution into something miraculous.  Which reminds us that our seemingly modest efforts, when offered to Christ, become part of His divine plan.  We can’t denigrate our contributions, and allow the devil to undermine our call – to give what we have, to believe and trust that in God, all things are possible.

Finally, and most importantly, this miracle invites us to recognize Jesus as the Bread of Life.  He is not merely a moral teacher but the Savior who offers us eternal life.  The Eucharist fulfills this miracle, where Jesus offers Himself as the true Bread from Heaven.

As we delve into Chapter 6 of John in the coming weeks, may we approach this Gospel with open hearts and minds, ready to discover its profound truths.  These truths encompass the divine identity of Jesus, His mission to save us from sin and death, and the significance of the Eucharist.  They challenge us to embody Jesus’ call to be generous, compassionate, and faithful witnesses in our daily lives.

In a world of diverse beliefs… where those who are secular are growing more hateful and deningrating of our faith, where (God Help Us) Jesus’ Last Supper becomes an opportunity for blasphemy and ridicule in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics Friday night (despite their best efforts to try to spin it to be something else and laugh at us who know they meant to do what they did) … In the face of all that, we are called to stand firm in the truth of the Gospel.  We must not shy away from proclaiming Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God and the source of our spiritual nourishment.  Our faith is not just a set of moral teachings but a relationship with the living Christ who offers Himself to us fully and completely.

May this Gospel passage inspire us to recognize the ways in which Jesus provides for us, to appreciate the significance of the Eucharist, and to live out our faith with boldness and love.  As we navigate our own unique challenges and opportunities, let us remember that in Christ, we find everything we need—both for this life and for the life to come.