Feastings and Fastings

The Fourth Sunday in Lent – Rose Sunday

22 March, AD 2009

TEXT:  St. John 6:1-14

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.

“When they were filled (Jesus) said unto his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.’  Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did said, ‘This is of a truth that prophet which should come into the world.’”  (St. John 6:12-14)

This miracle of the feeding of the five thousand is the only event in the ministry of Jesus, save the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which has been recorded by all four Evangelists in the Gospels which bear their name.  Thus, this incident suggests that a special importance was attached to it by the early Church.  At a very minimum, this story shows that Jesus was concerned with basic human need – the multitudes’ daily bread.  These people had come the long way around, so to speak, for as Jesus left Herod’s territory to cross the Sea of Galilee by boat, the multitude guestimated where He was heading and journeyed around the lake in order to meet Jesus on the other side.  It was a long walk and they were definitely hungry.

Seeing the sheer multitude of people, the Apostles react in a most human manner, like most of us would when faced with such a daunting task as this.  They want to give up and have Jesus send the multitude away.  But it is then that Jesus takes charge and shows the Apostles and the multitude that the need of the world is not too great for our resources IF it is the Lord who directs the use of those resources!  He has them all sit down and in an event which at once prefigures the Eucharist, instituted on the night of His betrayal, but calls to memory the feeding of the multitude as they wandered in the wilderness back in Exodus, Jesus performs the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and then directs the Apostles to gather up the remains which fill twelve baskets to the brim!  

While the synoptic Gospels concentrate, primarily, upon the miracle itself, St. John makes it a point in his Gospel to emphasize, doctrinally, the person of Jesus and solidifies His identity as the Messiah, especially as it relates to the feeding of the multitude, itself.  For as both Moses and Elijah “fed” those in need in the wilderness, so now Jesus feeds these five thousand men and turns meagerness into abundance, filling those people up until they can eat no more.  

As we said before, the “feeding” also prefigures (into the future) the Eucharist which Jesus instituted on the night of His betrayal.  At the heart of Jesus actions in the Upper Room that night, four actions were focused upon; taking, blessing, breaking, and giving.  Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to His Father in Heaven, broke the bread, and gave it to His Apostles to eat.  He performed the same symbolic action with the cup.  As we read all four Evangelists’ account of this miracle, the four-fold action of taking, blessing, breaking, and giving are present as well; giving us a foretaste of the manner in which we are nourished, enriched, renewed, and sustained by Jesus Christ some two thousand years after that event.  For what we do at that Altar and the Sacrament which we celebrate renews us, not only physically but spiritually as well and teaches us that God’s Grace and its operation in our lives is never spent, but eternally renewed, expended, and renewed again as we faithfully partake of His Body and Blood.  In the Eucharist Jesus truly gives us our daily bread, but like He did unto those few loaves and fishes, He renews our souls and bodies and strengthens His Grace within us exponentially so that we may be His people and become His hands and feet to a spiritually bankrupt and needy world.  This He does over and over and over again; each time His precious Body touches our tongue and His precious Blood touches our lips.  Everytime we offer ourselves to His throne of Grace we become renewed, refreshed, and reawakened to His Grace, Love, and Power in our lives so that we can make a difference where we live in the lives of those around us.  

It was no accident that this Gospel lesson was placed here on Rose Sunday.  Lent is often long and spiritually dismal.  It is hard to face ourselves and our sins which caused Jesus to hang upon the hard wood of the Cross.  Yet He gives us a respite here and reminds us what He can do in our lives if we give Him our lives as an offering and a resource for Him to use.  As we’ve said before, much of the emphasis of Lent is focused upon giving something up, or fasting, but today, especially, we are given an example of Feasting; feasting upon the Goodness and abundant renewal that only Our Lord, Jesus Christ can bring to those who believe on His Name.  Therefore, as we prepare ourselves to participate in our own miraculous feeding; sharing in the Body and Blood of Our Lord, I want to call your attention to some fastings and feastings we can do in our own hearts as we prepare our souls for Easter.  We have heard these before but they bear repeating:

Fast from judgment, feast on compassion

Fast from greed, feast on sharing

Fast from scarcity, feast on abundance

Fast from fear, feast on the Peace of God

Fast from lies, feast on God’s truth

Fast from gossip, feast on praise

Fast from anxiety, feast on patience

Fast from evil, feast on kindness

Fast from apathy, feast on involvement

Fast from discontent, feast on gratitude

Fast from noise, feast on silence

Fast from hatred, feast on God’s love

Fast from discouragement, feast on hope

These do, and listen to the voice of Jesus in your heart so that when you arrive at the Great Feast of Easter morning, you would find your souls filled with the never-ending abundance of God’s presence, nourishment, and renewal and come to know personally the power of His Resurrection for your life.

And now, unto God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost be ascribed all might, majesty, power, and dominion as is most justly due this day both now and forever; world without end.  Amen.

SOLI DEO GLORIA – JEU+