Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 2nd August

Message from Fr Paul for Monday, 2nd August 2021

           I always remember my Italian grandmother telling me that no two peaches taste the same, that I might be disappointed with the second. I thought she might be discouraging a certain greediness on my part, but she knew what she was talking about. Thirty years later, in Peru, our beloved cook, the Señora Olga, a saint if ever I knew one, would say that no two mangos taste the same, that the second is always a disappointment, even if they come from the same tree and were picked on the same day. Part of my diet at present involves eating strawberries every day because of their low sugar content, so I can say from experience that the same is true of the humble British strawberry. They should be savoured one at a time and not simply gulped down by the punnet-full. One of the lessons learnt during lockdown was to eat more slowly and to savour what I have on my plate. It would be sad now, as we gradually return to this thing they call “normal”, were we to forget the many precious lessons learnt during the pandemic. The same goes for scripture and prayer. As we become busier, let’s not rush our prayers and bible reading, but continue to make time for God and all that he has to give us.

           Today’s reading from Matthew, (Mt 14: 13-21), tells us of Jesus’ reaction to the death of John the Baptist, resulting in the miracle of the loaves and fish. Yesterday and the previous Sunday, we read John’s account of this miracle and, earlier in the year, Mark’s version. “When Jesus received the news of John the Baptist’s death he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.” Obviously, Jesus is deeply affected by the death of John. They were related after all. John had baptised him and prepared the ground for his coming among the people of Israel as Messiah. He and his disciples find that when they reach the other side of the lake, a large crowd is already waiting for them. Jesus is filled with compassion and begins to heal the sick. “When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.’” With the approach of evening and the setting of the sun, the disciples realise that there is nothing to eat. The crowds need to be sent away, but Jesus doesn’t agree with their suggestion. “Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they answered ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.’” They should be more self-reliant and prudent. Knowing that crowds would follow them, they should have brought provisions, but all they have are five loaves and two fish. No mention in Matthew of the small boy, who came forward with his precious gift. “‘Bring them here to me’ he said. He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps remaining; twelve baskets full. Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children.” Jesus asks for what they have to be brought forward and that the people should sit patiently and wait. We then have the same eucharistic motif as in the other Gospels: he took the bread, raised his eyes to heaven, said the blessing, broke the bread and gave them to the crowds. Likewise, we have the leftovers collected into twelve baskets. I wonder where those baskets came from and how come they were empty! This time, in addition to the five thousand men, mention is made of the women and children, so  was it twenty thousand people or even more? A great multitude, to be sure.

           In Matthew, we have no more than the miracle, but in John a profound theological explanation of its meaning can be found in the discourse on the Bread of Life. The miracles are signs that, like the parables, point to the true identity of Jesus as Son of God, he who was to come into the world as Saviour. Yet, in Matthew, as in the other Gospels, we have the fundamental eucharistic structure of the miracle that prepares us for the Last Supper and the Sacrifice of the Cross. Lord, by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free; you are the Saviour of the world. Amen.