Give them some food yourselves

Gn 14,18-20; Ps 109; 1 Cor 11,23-26; Lk 9,11b-17
23 JUNE

We are in the desert. There is no bread. Jesus does not tell the disciples that invite him to dismiss the crowd so that it goes to the nearby villages to get some bread: “I will give them something to eat”. Instead he says: “You give them something to eat”. There is a substantial change in what happened in the desert with the fathers. There it is God who promises Moses that he would have given Himself both bread and meat to eat to all people.

Here in the desert the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!” Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not. On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in, let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” So Moses and Aaron told all the Israelites, “At evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, as he heeds your grumbling against him. But what are we that you should grumble against us? When the Lord gives you flesh to eat in the evening,” continued Moses, “and in the morning your fill of bread, as he heeds the grumbling you utter against him, what then are we? Your grumbling is not against us, but against the Lord” (Ex 16,2-8).

In the spiritual desert of history, until the new heavens and the new earth are created, bread will always descend from heaven, but whoever must prepare it, transforming it into the body and blood of Christ Jesus, must be the apostles and presbyters their collaborators in the Episcopal order. Jesus’ command – you give them something to eat – goes far beyond the present moment. It is a command that is valid for every time and place. If the Apostle with his word transforms the bread into body and the wine into the blood of Christ, the nourishment of the journey is given. If the Apostle does not transform these elements, the Eucharist does not exist. As in the desert, with Jesus it was necessary that he were given few loaves and few fish, so that He could accomplish the multiplication, so it is necessary that to the Apostle bread and wine are always brought for the transformation into body and blood of the Lord. Man gives matter, the Apostle transforms it into nourishment of eternal life. But man must also give the Apostles and Priests to Christ, so that the miracle can be accomplished. We offer Jesus “the necessary instruments” and the Father, through the work of his Holy Spirit, transforms bread into body and wine into blood. Without apostles and presbyters the transformation will never happen. But even without bread and wine it might never be realized. Man remains without his true nourishment. Lacking all strength, it will be impossible for him to make the journey.

He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of (about) fifty.” They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Knowing the whole Church how necessary the Eucharist is for her, every day she must raise to the Lord a heartfelt cry to send Apostles and Priests so that they do the body and blood of Christ for her. The Church gives to God her faith in the Eucharist, true and profound faith, of heart, mind and desires. To this she adds her uninterrupted prayer of request. God sees faith. He listens and sends the instruments.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, send Apostles and Priests. We will feed on Christ Jesus.