Parish of Hoyland Saint Andrew
  • Home
  • Services
  • Weddings/Christenings
  • History
    • Parish Hall
  • Parish News
  • Contact Us

Parish News

Latest updates on events

next

Week Commencing 25th July

7/26/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Forthcoming Events
PCC Meeting Tues 27th July 7.00pm
Communion Thurs 29th July 10.00am
Communion Sun 1st Aug 9.30am



Reflections
   In our own time, we know that a lot of food gets wasted.  People are encouraged to buy more than they really need or can even use.  Supermarkets have to throw away edible food too, because it is past its “best before” date.  In earlier days it seems that people were better at using what they already had and making it last.  At the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, where I trained for the priesthood, unfinished meals, such as stew, would sometimes re-emerge as, for instance, soup.  It was quite impressive how it all got used.
  Looking at the passage from St John’s gospel today, it seems that Jesus was good at making food stretch.  One of his disciples, Philip, could see that two hundred denarii would not go very far with a large crown of people.  Another of his disciples, Andrew, said to Jesus that there he had only found a small boy who had five barley loaves and two fish.  It would not go very far between five thousand people.
   This sign that is given to us in John’s gospel is sometimes explained away by saying that in fact people probably had food that they had kept to themselves and that Jesus inspired them to be generous.  Well, no doubt Jesus did inspire many people to go beyond their normal boundaries.  This has been called the “nice thinking” interpretation.  It would be good to think that a huge crowd of people could find it in themselves to share all that they had for the good of others.  The reality is that many have very little and the ones who have more than enough all too often want to keep it to themselves.
   No, there is more to this gospel passage than a message of innate human goodness.  We are told that Jesus wanted to test Philip when he asked him where enough food could be found to feed the multitude.  This feeding of the multitude also followed on from the accounts of how Jesus brought healing and peace to people in need.  What we see here is a sign of the true nature of Jesus.  We see the presence of God transforming what the earth produces and what human beings have to share.  We see the power of God at work among us, meeting the hungry, the sick and the sinful in their time of need.
   The feeding of the multitude, above all, points us to the Eucharist, the sacred meal that Jesus would share with his disciples and that he gave us as a memorial of his Passion and the sacrament of his living presence.  The gospel tells us today how Jesus took the loaves, blessed them, broke them and shared them.  This follows the pattern of the Eucharist: take, bless, break and give.  Jesus is not just sharing earthly bread, but he is sharing himself, his very own life, with us.
   Afterwards, Jesus tells his disciples: “Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.”  There is nothing wasted in God’s provision.  This is true of the people of God – the Body of Christ.  We may often feel that we have little to offer, just as St Andrew had wondered whether five barley loaves and two fish were worth throwing into the mix.  But nothing is wasted or overlooked.  It was not that the people on the hillside had enough to feed themselves, but that Jesus took what modest amount they had to offer and then provided for everyone’s needs.
   In the Eucharist our spiritual hunger is satisfied by the real presence of Christ among us, bringing healing, peace, hope and courage into our lives.  The living word of God and the sharing of the sacrament remind us of our common humanity and our unity in Christ.  We are reminded that those around us are our brothers and sisters.  This surely transforms the way we see the world and other people.  We cannot feed a hungry world alone, but together with the Lord whose presence we share, each one of us can play our part in bringing whatever gifts we have to offer.

 
 
 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Saint Andrew

    I am a rather old Saint.

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly