Feeding the crowd.

Hunger is man’s great enemy. But in addition to that physical hunger, we also know the soul’s hunger, which is much more painful. The Gospel about the multiplication of loaves is relevant in every era. As we read these wonderful words about the feeding of the five thousand, we are filled with awe. “They all ate and were satisfied, and they even collected twelve baskets full of crumbs and leftover fish” (Mk 6:42-43).

Man is in a constant rush. Gone are the times that our grandparents remembered how they spent their winter evenings. They spent the day calmly, not in a hurry. And they were happy, even if they didn’t have the conveniences we have today. Today, the child has to get up early in the morning so that the working mother can make it to kindergarten and go to work. And when the child wants to play with his parents in the evening, he has to go to bed, because the mother is no longer in control, she is at the end of her strength. My father is also experiencing something similar. And today, the Church wants to tell us: Sit down and rest, at least in the church. Leave your hustle at the door and join the crowd around Jesus. All four evangelists talk about this multiplication of loaves. In some small things, they diverge and complement each other. But they unanimously say that this reproduction happened in silence, in a lonely place. Scholars of Holy Scripture consider this reproduction event to be a foreshadowing of the Eucharist. If we read the 6th chapter of the evangelist of Saint John, we would also see the people’s response to this multiplication: they wanted to make Christ a king. But when Jesus tells them about the bread of life, he will give them his body, for which they will no longer hunger and thirst. Mark also talks about the fact that even the apostles themselves did not understand it, because their hearts were still uncomprehending.

Don’t we also ask Jesus for our material satisfaction, security, and comfort rather than the Bread of eternal life? Don’t we resign as soon as the first obstacles appear with the words: it’s a tough talk?! Let’s be careful about our thinking in society because a consumerist society would like to accept Christ as something it does not need. 

We can see what it means to satisfy the crowd in Canadian martyrs. A young Christian from Spain came to the parish, where Father Amadci is the priest. He settled in the poorest neighborhood, intending to live here for others. Soon his example impressed other believers as well. They formed a group whose goal was to know Jesus best from the Holy Scriptures, in prayer, to talk with him in contemplation, to connect with him in meditation, to unite with him in the Eucharist and to serve him as brothers and sisters. By doing so, they won the hearts of those around them because they all longed for happiness. 

Jesus has prepared a feast for us, too. We are all invited. Let us wish and try not to know mental hunger.