Today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 is the story of the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus was teaching a huge crowd and told His disciples to feed them. They had no idea how they would do that. They only had five loaves and two fish. But those five loaves and two fish miraculously fed five thousand.
Many years ago I was at Mass when the priest was preaching on this event. He stated that Jesus wasn't some kind of magician and didn't really multiply the loaves and fishes. No, he said, the real miracle was that Jesus encouraged the people to share with each other food that they had brought with them. This was a meme that was popularized in pop theology many years ago. Quite honestly, it torqued me off big time.
Of course Jesus wasn't a magician. Magicians don't really do magic, they're illusionists. Neither was (is) Jesus an illusionist. He is God. And God can do anything. To minimize the power of this miracle is to minimize the power of God. I, for one, believe the Gospel story as written. While it sounds fantastical, it reminds us of not only the power of Jesus, but of His loving heart.
Father, you gave your Son all power in heaven and on earth, even to do the fantastical. May we never minimize His power, always trusting in Him. Amen.
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Thanks Gus,
I had a priest say the same thing a few years ago and agree, it is not the correct interpretation of this passage.
“Quite honestly, it torqued me off big time.” Me too!!
You had me going for a minute Gus as I thought that you had lost your senses too! Whew!!
Sadly, we also have heard some such “messages” from priests as well. Though too old to become a deacon, I signed up for some diocesan courses used in the deaconate and faith formation programs – and it explained a LOT (i.e., from a priest of 46 years: when you read something in the Bible that says “Jesus said,” probably not; when you read something that says “Moses said,” definitely not – “because there was nobody there to write it down.”)
I could add more but stop there – except to add that I have dropped out of the other “classes.”
Thank you again for all you do. 🙏