The Miracle Food Multiplication, Matthew 14:13-21

 

The Miracle Food Multiplication, Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus was quite concerned about the crowd.

He cured the sick and He fed the hungry.

Jesus Christ met the needs of the people.

He was a capable and gracious host.

 

Jesus prefigured Holy Communion.

The Eucharist is an institution.

 

Jesus received great cooperation.

Israel became a well-fed nation.

The Disciples made the distribution.

Multiplication was the solution.

 

Christ said eternal life is a banquet.

Earthly banquets could be heaven previews.

We can do that by serving loaves and fishes.

The men volunteer to do the dishes.

Copyright 2020, Sporting Chance Press

Appearing in:  Poems About the Gospel

Specifications: 

• Paperback : 176 pages
• ISBN-10 : 173458632X
• ISBN-13 : 978-1734586329
• Item Weight : 10.1 ounces
• Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.44 x 8.5 inches
• Publisher : Sporting Chance Press, Inc. (November 10, 2020)
• Price: $20 
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Bad News is Good News

In some ways, bad news can motivate people to work towards improvements that lead to good news. I just have a brief thought for today about young parents who want no part of church.  Many of them have had some exposure to church, and they are themselves non-believers in a sense that they just can't seem to align themselves with a faith.  They might have a certain amount of belief that has not worn away, but it was going to be a hassle so they checked out. People leave their religion for hundreds of reasons, so I don't want to simplify the notion as leaving for lazy reasons.  Certainly, many people may be leaving because of the commitment that comes with association with a church, but the "hassle" that keeps them away might be about having to align themselves with a group they are not proud of associating with today (some churches have PR problems today). It might be their faith is not really looked on as contemporary with lots of people--it has lots of "old" ideas. It might be that they have never gotten too deep with the faith business so the exit was quick and painless.  It might be one of their parents was always criticizing the church or even making fun of it when they were growing up. [A lot of bad news today is often mad PR, not bad faith.]

My generation was one that grew up looking at everything with cynicism and questioning things that had been accepted for generations or even millenniums. For many people there is a period of total unbelief that takes place as they reach adulthood and then they circle back--not all of them, but some come back. If you think that is not true, go read about some of the most noteworthy Christians today and you will find many "conversion" stories. In some churches they have various names for the experience. But  getting back to the point of raising children, the one thing that comes to mind for me is that if you raise your kids without faith because your may be a low point yourself, they might have a conversion experience later in their lives, but it might not be one that you are comfortable with. Maybe you are one of those open minded parents, that want your kids to find their peace without you, but you might just be abandoning generations of trials and tribulations that meant everything to your ancestors. Again, that might not be important to you.  

I just think when you have kids, what you pass down to them is very important.  And what you don't pass down to them might be very important as well. If you think that all religions foster hate, I'd have to disagree with you, but some of them do. Just as some forms of non-belief can lead to acceptance of other "haters." It all starts with you and your spouse. 

Frightening News on the Irish Front

I was in church last Sunday and I am fascinated by the diversity of our priests these days. My schedule requires that on certain weekends I attend different churches so I get to "know" several priests during the course of a year.

In the last decade or so, we've had priests for India, the Philippines, Poland and Africa.

At one church there is a Priest from Kenya who is a large athletic man who has an African-British accent. He exudes great confidence and is deliberate in his sermons and all his actions in the mass. You can't help but feel the strength of his faith.

When we pulled up at church this week, the Priest was pulling up with his car. He stepped out with a small person whom I mistook for young boy. It turned out the person was actually a very small man who was an older Priest from Nigeria.

The two African Priests said the mass. At the end of the mass, the Priest from Nigeria stood up to say a few words. First off, he said he would like to thank Americans for their faith that was in many ways a guiding light for the rest of the world. He said it was our faith and support with the faith and support of European Catholics that led to the missionary work in Africa which in turn led to his and other African priests vocations. He was basically saying that by supporting the mission work in Africa decades ago we were now seeing and experiencing the benefit of that work by having priests like him serve parishes in the US. I was touched by this because one of my Uncles was a school master from Scotland who had actually gone to Africa with his wife to run a Catholic school. I couldn't take any personal credit for this of course, but it made the Priest message seem more relevant. Perhaps all those small coins we used to put in those little milk carton mission banks had done some good.

The Priest then told us that unfortunately, the Catholic faith in Europe was almost dead. Traveling through Europe, he had seen empty churches and almost a total lack of any expression of the Catholic faith. He went on to say that even in Ireland, mass participation was on the decline and the church had seemed to have lost its way offering shorter masses to try to hold onto to those who considered mass a burden on their time.

I had talked to an Irish publisher a year or so ago when Ireland was in the throes of their examination of the church's running of the various social services. The Publisher suggested that the people had enough of the Catholic church and its priests.

I am hoping against hope that these reports are exaggerated or at least short lived. I think it is wonderful that we have an increase in priests from Africa, India and the Philippines. This gives us new strength and vigor. These priests add a new dimension to the faith and Lord knows we need it. It also suggests that the church is growing in the places from which these priests come to us. It is all good as they say.

But as an Irish American, you can't help but feel bad when you consider that the church in Ireland might be on the decline. For Irish Americans, Ireland holds a special spirituality for us. The Irish religious came to this country at a time when the Catholic church was in a primitive vulnerable state under siege from many quarters. Their work was instrumental and inspiring. Not only did they keep the faith alive here, they also improved the religious training and education of the poor Irish--many of whom had come over during the famine.

It was the second and third generation Irish American priests who have established such wonderful institutions like the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Hospitals, Universities, etc. We need that continuing flood of new blood from Ireland. We need the example of Irish piety and faith. We need all the help we can get! We have our own faith crisis going on right here.

The world keeps changing and we might not like everything that the Vatican does. We might feel disgraced and angered by the Priests who have betrayed their faith and abused children. We might believe the church leaders mishandled much of the scandal. We might disagree with things that are being said and done by some of the human beings who are our church leaders. But we can't help but believe that the body and blood of Jesus Christ that is present at the altar for us at each mass is a gift that is present in the Catholic Church. Most of our priests are wonderful spiritual people who have kept the faith, who have fought the good fight. Certainly, the Irish can see this, can they not? I pray so.