This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world

29 JULY (Jn 6,1-15)

With the exception of the manna which descended directly from heaven in the form of seeds like coriander, in the Ancient Scripture a few cases of bread or of other food multiplication for the sustenance of man; are known. Elijah and Elisha are the prophets that operate these wonders. However, it is always the Lord that gives the bread in a mysterious, unseen way, for righteousness and obedience of who observes his Covenant.

“Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.'” She left and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well; The jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the Lord had foretold through Elijah. (1Kings 17,13-16).

A certain woman, the widow of one of the guild prophets, complained to Elisha: “My husband, your servant, is dead. You know that he was a God-fearing man, yet now his creditor has come to take my two children as his slaves.” “How can I help you?” Elisha answered her. “Tell me what you have in the house.” “This servant of yours has nothing in the house but a jug of oil,” she replied. “Go out,” he said, “borrow vessels from all your neighbors – as many empty vessels as you can. Then come back and close the door on yourself and your children; pour the oil into all the vessels, and as each is filled, set it aside.” She went and did so, closing the door on herself and her children. As they handed her the vessels, she would pour in oil. When all the vessels were filled, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” “There is none left,” he answered her. And then the oil stopped. She went and told the man of God, who said, “Go and sell the oil to pay off your creditor; with what remains, you and your children can live.” (2Kings 4,1-7).

A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing the man of God twenty barely loaves made from the first fruits, and fresh grain in the ear. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. 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. (2Kings 4,42-44).

Today, Jesus performs an amazing miracle, never done before. With five small barley loaves feeds five thousand people. A great, very great deal. However, it is only a sign of what he is about to do: giving himself as food and drink of eternal life to all men, until the end of history. One body, the same, always, to every man. That body that he received from the Virgin Mary, that body transformed into light and spirit by his glorious resurrection, will be the nourishment for all the pilgrims to eternity. This is the recondite meaning, hidden in the multiplication of the loaves. The Jews do not see and do not think this way.

After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (of Tiberias). A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little (bit).” One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 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. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, and Saints teach us the truth of the sign.