Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [July 29, 2018] John 6:1-15

Jesus said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” (Jn. 6:5)

Unlike the other Gospels, the Gospel of John does not have the story of the Institution of the Eucharist on the Last Supper. However, it does not mean John the evangelist does not write anything about the Eucharist. In fact, John includes the most sublime discourse on the bread of life in his chapter 6. The chapter itself is relatively long, and the Church has distributed it into several Sunday Gospel readings (from today up to August 26). This discourse on the Bread of Life begins with the lovely story of Jesus feeding the multitude.

The story highlights Jesus’ question to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” (Jn. 6:5) Philip, who seems to be familiar with the place, gives impossibility as an answer, “Two hundred denarii (or two hundred days’ wages) worth of food would not be enough…” (Jn. 6:7) Philip is just realistic, but he misses the mark. Jesus does not ask “how much,” but “where.” Perhaps, if Philip lives in the 21st century, he would direct Jesus to the nearest shopping mall! The point is that Philip would eagerly reduce the entire problem into a financial matter. Philip is not wrong because finance and economy are the backbones of our daily lives and even our survival as species, But money is not the only thing that matters. Philip will later see during the multiplication of the bread, that the “where” is pointing back to Jesus Himself. And as we will see in succeeding of chapter 6, the bread Jesus offers is not meant only for biological and economic benefits, but for eternal life.

I am currently having my clinical pastoral education at one of the hospitals in Metro Manila. One of the sacred missions entrusted to me as a chaplain is to distribute the Holy Communion to the sick. By ministering to the sick, especially through prayer and giving Holy Communion, I am reminded that the physical and biological aspects of our humanity are not the only things to be taken care of. It is true that many patients I have encountered are struggling with financial issues, like how to get the money to pay the hospital bills and expensive medicines. They have to wrestle also with their sickness that sometimes is incurable. I myself am at a loss on how to help them in these pressing concerns. However, often, the patients themselves are the ones who assure me that God will find a way, as He always does. What I do, then, is to affirm and strengthen their faith. Prayer and giving of the Holy Communion are the visible manifestations of Jesus’ real presence among us, and His presence is even more felt by the sick. Like our Gospel’s today, Jesus does not only take care of the physical aspect of our lives, but more fundamentally, He brings us to the deeper reality that our souls all long for. Paradoxically, in their hunger, they discover Jesus.

Being strong and healthy, we often forget this simple truth. Like Philip, we are more concerned with amassing wealth, attaining fame, and achieving success. Even as people serving the Church and the community, we are spending more time in organizing charity events, raising funds, and even arguing among ourselves over trivial matters. We miss the point why we are going to the Church. We miss encountering Jesus. We pray and hope that we are able to answer Jesus’ question rightly to Philip and us, “Where shall we find food for us to eat?”

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP