AUGUST 1, 1999 |
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Matt. |
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| Background: There are two versions of this story in Matthew's Gospel, a phenomenon which scripture scholars call "doubling." The author of the gospel doubtless had a number of different sources in front of him as he worked, most notably St. Mark's Gospel and a collection of the "sayings" of Jesus (like "Many are called, but few are chosen"). He also had available other traditions. Rather than leave something out, he chose to include two slightly different versions of the same stories. We must remember that these written sources with which the author worked had been preceded by oral traditions, though it now seems likely that the traditions were reduced to writing early in the development of Christianity. The story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes is eucharistic in its intent. Some clergy agonize over whether the miracle was an actual physical multiplication or merely a result of everyone bringing forth their small supplies of food. But this misses the point of the story - that God feeds us with both ordinary food and with the Eucharist which unites us with Herself in a banquet of love. |
read the padre |
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Story: Once upon a time there was a family that loved to celebrate. Originally, they just used to celebrate family birthdays with a special dinner and cake and ice cream. And, of course, there were bigger parties with relatives for First Communions and graduations. By the time some milestone birthdays and anniversaries came around, this family began inviting their friends to join with them and break the bread and tell the story in a liturgy followed by a night of dining and dancing and sharing of stories. Some people who attended these celebrations were known to have said that they "wouldn't miss them for the world!" The Dad in the family, who suffered five bouts of cancer in a twelve-year period, often spearheaded these events as a celebration of life. At times, the guests smiled through their tears at the thought that he might not be with them. One day one of his children asked him why he always wanted these big parties. His answer: " I grew up in the depression when we were too poor to celebrate much and so for many years I never appreciated how important it is to give thanks and celebrate our good fortunes with others. I feel energized when we celebrate. I want others to see how it helps. I hope our spirit of celebration encourages others to do the same. When he died, they had a Sunday evening funeral liturgy followed by a grand party in the church basement. Everyone knew he was there celebrating with them. |
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