Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary time
(Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21)
It has been noted how Eucharistic today’s gospel is. Its description of Jesus “looking up to
heaven” is part of the prayer of Consecration at Mass although Jesus does not
make this gesture in the Last Supper accounts.
There are other connections to the Eucharist as well.
Jesus offers a blessing over the bread. He is not blessing the bread but, as at Mass,
blessing God, the provider of all that is good.
The bread Jesus gives for distribution satisfies the people
physically. Similarly, the bread at
mass, transformed into the Body of Christ, meets the spiritual need of the
people for grace to do God’s will. The
surplus of food in the gospel suggests the superabundance of Jesus’
ministry. With the Eucharist as well,
there is no limit to the range and the depth of the intentions that are
fulfilled.
It is distressing to hear some Catholics speak of enjoying
watching Mass on television in their pajamas during Covid. The experience may have filled some spiritual
need, but it could not have sufficed for full participation at Mass. It probably indicates an eroded appreciation
of the Mass in our time. We must renew
our faith in the Eucharist as the pinnacle of our encounter with the Lord. It provides both context and means of
achieving salvation.
