St James Catholic Church

Many of the thousands of people who were sick and hungry, walked for miles from towns all over Galilee just to see and hear Jesus.  How fortunate, we can join our Lord at the Eucharistic table.  While we are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have room at our Masses, now being held in our church hall during our remodeling construction, so unless you are sick or in the critical group in danger of catching the virus, please consider joining us for Mass.

Our good news today is the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes.  Jesus feeding the five thousand.  It was late in the evening in a deserted place.  The disciples urged our Lord to dismiss the crowds so they could go to the surrounding village and purchase some food.  Our Lord’s response was, “Give them some food yourselves.”  They responded, “We only have five loaves and two fish.”  “Bring them here to me,” was Jesus’ response.  The food was hardly enough for just the disciples, let alone a crowd of thousands.  But just as God provided a miraculous abundance of food to Moses and the chosen people in the desert, God supplies for the needs of his people in this deserted place.

In a few months we will hear the passage from Matthew’s Gospel of the final judgment.  Those who gave food and drink to the hungry and thirsty will be welcomed into the kingdom.  Our Lord involves the disciples to be active participants in today’s miraculous event.  They are the ones who walked through the crowd, handing out food.  They were the ones seeing the delight in the eyes of the families, neighbors, and strangers. 

While the account is symbolic of Christ feeding us at the Eucharist, it is also an invitation to continue feeding the hungry here and now.  One of the primary ways we do that here at St. James Parish is through our St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.  We are grateful for the many volunteers and contributors who make this wonderful ministry possible.  Our God feeds us so that we in turn can feed others.

Love, Peace, Joy

Fr. Bob