John 6:1-15: Some Left Over – Part VII
Sunday, August 7, 2022
John’s recounting of the multiplication story brings us even more insight and perhaps answers to questions raised over the last several days. Is this a miracle of greed becoming generosity or does Jesus actually multiply bread and fish? Why does God bring together so many in need? Why does Jesus ask the apostles to provide food when he knows they do not have the funds to do so? How is it that the Spirit heals so generously and so completely?
A large crowd followed Jesus and his disciples because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
God’s response to our many needs to walk among us as one of us. Let us pray that we leave our hearts and minds open to this presence.
“Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” Jesus said this to test Philip, because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Jesus’ instruction of those closest to him is constant and loving. Let us pray that we treat others with this same respect and dignity.
When they had their fill, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted”.
The Spirit’s power to heal cannot be overestimated. Let us pray that we have the foresight to honor the Spirit as we ought.
So they collected the fragments, and filled twelve baskets from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world”.
And so we pray as we explore God’s word.
Jacopo Tintoretto, Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes
When we encounter God’s generosity, we pray for humility so that we might give thanks for this enormous gift.
When we come upon Jesus’ warmth and presence, we pray for clarity so that we might follow wherever the path of discipleship leads us.
When we receive the Spirit’s healing, we pray for confidence so that we might join him in his loving response to pain and need.
We pray as we reflect on this well-known story of God’s presence in our lives. And we do this in Jesus’ name, in union with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
For more detail of the Tintoretto image, visit: https://www.christianiconography.info/metropolitan/2017/loavesFishesTintoretto.html
Tomorrow, bread of life.
Images from: https://www.christianiconography.info/metropolitan/2017/loavesFishesTintoretto.html and https://www.olgparish.org/olg-news-events/2018/6/15/loaves-and-fishes
The Noontimes 
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