Reflection on the Gospel Reading on 6 May 2011

Jn 6:1-15

With the ‘five barley loaves and two fish’, it was enough to feed five thousand men. What does it imply? The message to me is even with the little that we may have, as long as we are willing to share, God will multiply it many folds through Love. It is not the original physical things that will multiply but the results of sharing the things with Love. Then, people who have received such sharing of Love will multiply them in their own ways. They will work hard to do what is necessary to provide for the others, be it through spending time with the lonely elderly folks, buying food for the poor or working hard to provide for the family so that the children may be well nurtured and contribute to the society in the future. Note that the boy with the ‘five barley loaves and two fish’ must be willing to give them up in order for them to multiply to be shared with the five thousand men. It starts from the willingness to give up what we have for the good and love for others.


Then, the act of Jesus withdrawing ‘again to the mountain alone’ after knowing ‘they were going to come and carry him off to make him king’ further illustrates the kind deed done is not being self centered but to be Christ centered out of Love for the others. He did not do it to glorify himself. Rather, his purpose was to share such Love with the others. This act of him shows he is a serving leader but not to be served. He did not linger around for people to worship him like he was god. He did not seek popularity or had no indication of being narcissistic. Rather, after he had done what he was called to do and moved on to continue to share the Good News and work wonders in other people’s lives. Though he would go to the mountains alone for quiet time from time to time, he was never doing God’s will alone. He would always journey with the others. Only by sharing with the others, these ‘five barley loaves and two fish’ will multiply through Love.

With Love,
Elena