Readings for July 27-28, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Edward Looney | For On Mission
There is much to mesmerize us about this weekend’s Gospel of the multiplication of the fishes and loaves. And there are many questions we could ask about the event. What captures my attention is the generous giver of the five loaves of bread and two fish — it was a little boy in the crowd.
Some resulting questions: Who was this boy? Was he alone? How did he get the attention of Andrew, who offers the boy’s sack lunch to Jesus to feed thousands? How could such a little offering fill such a great need?
In my imaginative prayer surrounding this Gospel, I would follow the boy from his home to the place where the multiplication happens. There are a lot of scenarios that could unfold.
Maybe this boy’s mother was one of the women who followed Jesus, and so she sent this lad with the bread and fishes because she wanted to feed Jesus and his apostles. Never did she imagine that it would feed an entire crowd of people.
Or could it be that as the apostles were frantically conversing about how they would satisfy the hunger of the people, the eavesdropping boy tugs on one of their tunics and offers the sack of food he carries. Does the boy offer the loaves and fish or do the apostles ask him for it?
This little boy’s offering of a few loaves of bread and fish made a huge impact. It’s a reminder to all of us that God can use our small offerings for a big purpose.
This generous act allowed a lot of things to happen. It fed the people. It allowed Jesus to perform a sign and wonder, a miracle for people to talk about. Because it was a miracle, he created a hunger for the supernatural in those who partook of it. And it gave Jesus an opportunity of foreshadowing what was to come on the night of the Last Supper.
I also wonder about what the future held for this young boy. As he witnessed all of this unfold in one afternoon, what did he make of it that day and also for the rest of his life?
When he told his family what happened, did they believe him or were they there with him and witnessed it for themselves? Was this a story that he continued to tell for the rest of his life, especially when the name of Jesus would be brought up? Would he be a part of the early Christian church? This little boy played a big part in a miracle; how did the miracle play a big part in his life going forward?
We will never know the answer to these questions until we get to heaven and ask the Lord himself or maybe even hear the story from that little boy himself. For now, I remain grateful for the role he played in this public act of Jesus’s ministry and so should you.
Fr. Looney serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Shawano, and priest celebrant at St. Martin of Tours Parish, Cecil. His latest book, “Places of Grace,” is available through Amazon.
The readings for Sunday, July 28, can be found at Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB.