Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 26, 2009
By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.
But his servant objected, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha insisted. "For thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'" And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said. 2 Kings 4:43-44
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. John 6:11-13
Piety
Piety is how we live the mind and the heart of Jesus in our lives. There are so many different reasons for following Jesus. The large crowd that followed the Lord because of his miracles and the signs that he did is no different from each of us who follow because the goodness of the Lord has touched our lives in all the good people that have been our companions of the journey. The miracle of the loaves and the fishes is one more example of Jesus reaching out to the needs of the people around him. The people, impressed by what they saw, wanted to make him king. Paul was impressive to the Ephesians because of the way he put up with being a prisoner for the sake of Christ. The good people of our lives, without their or our being aware of it, have done the same for us. Christ, who lives in the goodness of all of us, touches our hearts and claims our allegiance by the goodness that surrounds us. A good person that is suffering for the Lord speaks the language of the cross which claims the hearts of all. What is being suffered in the name of Christ redeems us. Another person’s suffering draws us closer to Christ often enough without our being aware of why Christ is so close to us. Wherever there is love, God is there. Piety is the touch of the divine in our lives, spelled out in the ways Christ touches our hearts and helps us to be better people.
Study
It is worth our while to study all the ways we feed on Christ in our lives. Spiritual Direction brings a close study of what is going on in our spiritual journey. When I describe out loud to another my spiritual odyssey, I own it in a different way than when I am just saying it to myself. When a spiritual director puts what I have said in his or her own words, I see myself through how they see me. Spiritual Direction takes on its richest meaning when I have another who is a companion of the journey. Such a one sees where I am going and is able to point out the dead end streets. One who walks the journey with me can recognize the pitfalls and help me see where the next turn in the bend is leading us. The journey is smoother when I can see the potholes. When I walk with one who knows the road, I have more confidence in the direction I am going.
Every event that I pray in the life of Christ helps me to put on the mind and the heart of Christ. To see myself doing what Christ does affirms the rightness of the journey. Recognizing something wonderfully done in my life allows me to know what makes me alike to Christ. Wherever there is love, Christ is there. We are created to the image and the likeness of Christ. Every good person is a reflection of the Light of Christ. Discovering the need to do good in our lives, opens us up to the call Christ has on our hearts. Life itself gradually reveals the plan of God for our lives.
Action
Elisha is a forerunner of Christ. When he shares the food brought to him with the crowd, he hears the word of the Lord. What he thought would not be enough for the people with him had leftovers. The gift we would give to our world too often seems inadequate to the needs of our world. Yet the little we give is multiplied by the love of the Lord. What we share with others becomes so much more by the love that is generated in the ones we share with. The Lord is calling us not only to give until it hurts, but to give so generously that the recipients of our gifts have leftovers. When we have given all that we can give, then it is time for us too to withdraw to the mountains to be alone. There, the Lord can feed us as he answers all our needs.
