Homilies

The Eucharist is life. That is what Jesus means when he says, “I am the living bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The bread he gives us, his flesh, is life. It is not a metaphor. It is not a mere symbol. It really is life, the life of heaven, and Jesus freely gives it to us. He shares with us an eternal and perfect reality simply because he loves us. He does not give us the gift of his flesh and his life because we deserve it. He does not give it to us because we are amazing and inspiring examples for the world. He gives it to us despite our many sins and failures. He gives us life to prove that he loves us. And the one and only thing he asks in return, is that we do the same, that we take the gift of life that we have received, and we give it to others.

It is easy to talk about doctrine, the set of things that we are required to believe as Catholics. Today marks one of those days when it is even easier. Today begins what is called the bread of life discourse. Over the next few Sundays, Jesus will elucidate how he embodies the true bread of life, illustrating how Old Testament accounts of miraculous feedings foreshadowed his own presence. He will emphasize that partaking in his body and blood is essential for attaining eternal life within us. So we can see how easy it would be to write off the next few Sundays as moments just to talk doctrine: the real presence, transubstantiation, and all of those things. But that wouldn’t be helpful. We all know what the Church teaches. Many of us have heard it time and again our entire lives. So, let’s not talk about that today.

The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the most memorable and cherised storys about Jesus. This story isn’t just a demonstration of Christ’s power but a profound reflection of how we perceive miracles and God’s active presence in our world.

Many of us hesitate to accept miracles. We’d rather find natural explanations for Jesus’ actions, transforming his divine acts into something ordinary, yet inspiring. This skepticism isn’t just about doubt; it’s about reluctance. If Jesus truly performed miracles as signs of his divine identity, we must confront the implications: listening to him, following his teachings, and embodying his way of life. To avoid this transformative call, some have even suggested that the miracle of feeding 5,000 was merely an act of sharing, where a young boy’s modest lunch of two fish and five loaves spontaneously inspired others to share. They claim the “real” miracle was human generosity.