When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Why did it make such an impression upon the disciples?
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The answer that can be lengthy – too much for a short, morning reflection! Allow me to offer just one reason why.
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The multiplication of the loaves reveals two different reactions to human need.
When the disciples see the large crowd and realize how many are tired and hungry, they want to dismiss them. “Send them away,” they say to Jesus.
How many in our world have that same type of attitude?
They see suffering happening all around them – long food lines, empty bank accounts, victims of hatred – and like the disciples, they say, “Send them away.”
Let someone else worry about them.
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Jesus, on the other hand, sees the tired and hungry crowd and decides to feed them.
This is the Christian attitude. We see the same suffering happening around us as others, but we act. We take what little we have – five loaves and two fish – and start feeding the crowds.
Somehow, miraculously, we accomplish more than we ever thought possible.
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If everyone had a Christian attitude, if everyone pitched in to solving the world’s problems, then we’d not only feed five thousand for a day; we’d feed them for a lifetime.
Who, then, is one person I can feed today, either with bread or with love?
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“Give them some food yourselves,” Jesus says.
It’s what Christians do.
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(This picture was taken from the church built upon the site where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish).
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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2020 was a doozy of year.
Things we never thought would happen, happened.
First, there was COVID. Then the upheaval of sports. Then the imposition of social distance, quarantining, travel restrictions, and panic buying.
Uncertain of the future, people stockpiled everything from frozen food to toilet paper. Who knew we needed all that Charmin?
In the midst of the chaos unleashed by COVID, we also witnessed a divisive election, social unrest, online learning, and finally the discovery of several vaccines that promise to return our lives to “normal.”
Some say we can’t turn back.
Rather, 2021 will usher in a “new normal,” whatever that means.
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If nothing else, 2020 taught us that life has a way of taking dramatic, unexpected turns – for better or for worse. Part of our happiness depends upon how well we adapt to those changes.
The more we roll with the punches – the more flexible we are – the happier we will be.
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The Gospels paint a similar roller coaster, roll with the punches, type of experience for Mary. That first Christmas night was part of no ordinary year; rather, it was the most extraordinary year imaginable.
First, an angel appears to Mary, promising she’ll conceive the Son of God in her womb… Then she has to tell Joseph.
After Jesus is born, shepherds come to do him homage while Magi from the East arrive laying gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh at his feet.
When King Herod finds out about Christ’s birth, he issues a death warrant for every boy under the age of two, forcing Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt.
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Like 2020, the year of Christ’s birth was no ordinary year. It was quite extraordinary.
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But in the midst of the chaos, Mary did something we all should do. She paused; she pondered; she “reflected” upon these events, piecing together the meaning of them in her heart.
As we begin 2021, perhaps that’s something we all can do. Pause; ponder; question the meaning of it all. Not just the meaning of 2020, but more importantly, the meaning – and the relevance – of that first Christmas night in our own lives today.
In other words, why does Christ’s birth matter to me?
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For example, the Gospels tells us that Jesus was born in a “manger.”
This was a special image for the first Christians, who understood the word, “manger,” to be another word for “feeding trough.”
Jesus was born in a feeding trough.
Why not a king-size bed? Why a trough?
Just as animals receive nourishment from food placed in a trough, so Christians are meant to feed on Christ.
He is nourishment for our souls.
We feed on Christ’s words, and even his Body and Blood in the Eucharist – promises that were foreseen that first Christmas night.
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We are meant to feed on Christ.
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Jesus was also wrapped in “swaddling clothes.”
Like the feeding trough, this image of a blanket carries with it deep symbolic meaning.
Just as a blanket was conformed to Christ’s body, literally wrapped snugly around him, so we are meant to wrapourselves around Christ. We place our joys, our sorrows, our desires, and 2021 at his feet.
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As we begin the New Year, how can we wrap ourselves more fully around Christ?
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Maybe it’s something as minor as changing a habit.
For example, many of us are in the habit of either coming to Mass or tuning in online at least once a month. What if we upped it to once a week? Or even added a digital daily Mass to our schedule?
There can be immense spiritual benefits that come from feeding on Christ’s Word, and when possible, Christ in the Eucharist.
Or what would happen if we increased the amount of time we spent privately in prayer? Or did some spiritual reading? Would we see ourselves – and the world around us – in a better light?
Or perhaps we’re being invited to greater flexibility with our time. Instead of writing our own plans for the day, be open to the whims of the Spirit.
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Like that first Christmas, 2020 was a doozy of a year.
Only God knows what 2021 holds.
But if we take Mary’s approach – if we pause and ponder – then we may find a deeper meaning behind it all.
That would be a blessed “new normal,” seeing God at work in every moment of our lives, especially in those strange, most unexpected twists and turns that inevitably lie ahead.
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today we celebrate a new year, and in that sense, a new beginning. Thank God!
We also celebrate a new beginning for Mary, who becomes a mother for the very first time.
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Being a first-time parent must be thrilling.
I’d imagine it involves a mixture of emotions: incredible joy over creating a life. But, at the same time, feelings of fear and inadequacy, wondering how you’ll provide for your child.
I’m sure Mary felt similar emotions, only she’s not the mother of any ordinary child; she’s the mother of God himself. The sense of responsibility must’ve been overwhelming at times.
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The Gospel tells us that Mary pondered the events of the last nine months in her heart.
To ponder literally means to “piece together.” Mary didn’t have all of the answers to her questions about what was happening in her life; like us, she tried figuring it out, stitching together the meaning of it all in her heart.
For example, why would God choose her to be his mother? How can God become a man? How can Mary protect Jesus from evil in the world? How will she provide a safe and loving home for him?
Questions she’ll have answered in time.
What Mary knows today is the fact that Jesus has chosen to be entirely dependent upon her while in her womb – relying upon her body for warmth, nourishment, and protection.
Life for these two is just beginning.
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Because of her charity, God blesses Mary with thirty-years of quiet living, solitude with Jesus. What happens between them during those years isn’t recorded in the Gospels; it’s as if it’s their secret.
We can assume Mary got to know Jesus intimately. She learned his mannerisms; his personality; she watched him make friends. Things a mother delights in.
But Mary also knew when it was time to share Jesus with the world. In John’s Gospel, it’s at the wedding in Cana when Jesus turns water into wine, officially beginning his public ministry.
But Jesus only performs this miracle after Mary’s prompting.
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I wonder if Mary intuited where this would all lead.
The crowds will discover the power of her son; some will seek to take advantage of Jesus; some will love him; others will hate him. The religious authorities, in particular, will be threatened by Jesus’ teachings and authority.
I’d like to think, as a mother, Mary knew it all.
She becomes the only person present with Jesus when he opened his eyes in Bethlehem and thirty-three years later closes them on Calvary.
Only Mary was with Jesus as he drew his first breath and exhaled his last.
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This knowledge of the role she’d play in the salvation of the world could’ve caused Mary to feel terribly inadequate; at times she must’ve clung to the angel Gabriel’s words from the night of the Annunciation: “Do not be afraid, Mary. You’ve found favor with God.”
Gabriel’s words must have given her strength. God was with her.
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But the same is true for us today.
God is with us, perhaps not in the flesh and bones of Jesus, but he is with us in one another, in Christ’s words, in prayer, and in the Eucharist.
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Whatever 2021 holds in store for us, we can approach each day with confidence, remembering the gift we have because of Mary:
