Homily originally preached August 2, 2020

by Monsignor Deering

Come to God … so He can blossom your gifts in a special way!

We’re almost done with our lighting upgrade project!

I’ll bet you noticed ... consciously or subconsciously ... 

that it’s been much brighter here in  Church the last 3 weeks!

It’s because we replaced all of our halogen lights and fluorescent lights with

LED lights ... that are cooler, cheaper to operate and 50% brighter than we had! 

We did it with a team of 8 Parishioners who came together ...

       each bringing their individual gifts that enabled us to complete the project.

Jose’ Giron was very adept in operating the lift that enabled us to lower

all 8 of our 8’ Chandeliers down to the floor to be worked on.

Jeremy Smith, his brother Shane and best friend Jeremy were able to repair and

operate the ceiling winches that hoist the Chandeliers into place.  

Roger Bedard cleaned the glass in the chandeliers.

David Cusimano secured the parts and equipment.

Phil Onstatt designed & installed all the new elec. panels, wiring and switches.

All different gifts ... that when brought together ... produced great results.

This pattern of uniting the little gifts individuals have to offer ...

to produce amazing results shows up in many different areas of life.

We see it in team sports ... when the gifts of Quarterback and Receivers and Line

are brought together ... there is great success.

We see it in production line assembly plants ... where Designers and Mechanics and Electricians and Painters come together  ... to produce marvelous products.

We see it in the Military ... recall the recruiting slogan of the U. S. Army ...

“An Army of One”.

It’s similar to the timeless saying, “United we stand ... divided we fall.”

This is a truth that the devil knows well which explains why

the devil is always at work to divide us. 

But thank goodness, Our Lord, is always there to unite us and strengthen us.

We hear a powerful example of this in our Gospel today.

St. Matthew records the disciples suggesting to Jesus :

“This is a deserted place ... dismiss the crowds

so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

I’m sure you’ve heard of the word diabolic,

it comes from the Greek word “diabalein” which means to throw apart

and always manifests itself with the intention ... to scatter ... to send away.

This is in exact opposition to the mission of Jesus!

Jesus came into our world as a great gathering force ...

with the mission to draw all people to Himself.

Which is precisely why Jesus replied to his Apostles as He did, saying:

“There is no need for them to go away.”

And Jesus uses this seemingly hopeless situation ...

of having 5000 hungry people on is hands ...

as the chance to demonstrate that He has the power

to blossom even the smallest of gifts into something abundantly life-giving!

He says to His Apostles; “Give them some food yourselves.”

They let Him know right away of their meager ability to help saying,

“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

And then Jesus says those life-changing words,    “Bring them here to me.”

it’s as if Jesus is saying, “Ok, I’ll take it from here.”

And Jesus indeed took it from there ... performing a most incredible miracle ...

multiplying 5 loaves to feed 5000!

Notice that Jesus didn’t just create bread to feed the vast number of people.

He absolutely could have done that!

But no ... He took the bread they had ... and multiplied it ... to feed the people!

Jesus could have done it all by Himself.

But He didn’t!

He drew His small band of followers into the work ... of feeding others.

First He accepted the little food they had to offer ...

and then multiplied the little they brought Him into an unbelievable supply.

What did that show them?

What does it show us?

The Lord regards every experience of human lack as

a prime opportunity to show the lavishness of God!

Old Testament and New ... God is always calling us to Himself.

Why?   So that He can help us in our need!

In our First Reading today, God ... speaking through the Prophet Isaiah, says:

“All you who are thirsty, come to the water!

you who have no money, come receive grain and eat.

Come without paying

Come to me heedfully ... that you may have life.”

And then in our Responsorial Psalm we heard,

“The Lord is near to all who call upon him.”

God’s deep desire to help us ...

and we enable Him to do this when we come to Him offering our meager gifts.

When we put ourselves in His presence we open the door to receiving his help.

This is one of the many reasons that God gave us the 3^rd Commandment.

Remember ... “United we stand ... divided we fall.”

God wants us united so we stand in strength and goodness.

the Devil wants us divided so we fall in weakness and sin.

By coming together every 7 days, we stay united with God and with one another.

Does God want us to come to Him with our gifts because He needs something?

No, God doesn’t need anything!

God wants us to come to Him so that He can blossom the gifts He’s given us!

He wants to take us from “a deserted place” ... to “a place of abundant life!”

Today’s account of Jesus feeding the 5000 is found in all 4 Gospels.

In John’s Gospel, he places it at the beginning of the 6^th Chapter ... right before Jesus tells the crowds that they must eat His Body and drink His Blood in order to have everlasting life.

You see, it’s after Jesus shows the people that He can do the impossible ...

by multiplying bread to satisfy their physical needs.

That He calls on them to believe that He can likewise do the impossible in feeding them spiritually, feeding them with his very Flesh and Blood.

One year after that invitation, Jesus showed the Apostles

exactly how He would do this ... it would be in a Holy Meal ... The Mass.

And here again He lets us bring to Him ... the little that we have ...

the elements of unleavened Bread and Wine that we bring forward ...

and then He... takes it from there ...

multiplying Himself in the elements,

giving us more than we could ever imagine ...

giving us Himself ... His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity

giving us Miraculous, Supernatural Food...that will nourish us to Everlasting Life.

God foretold this in our First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah, “Come to me heedfully that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant.”

As we celebrate Mass today, let’s reflect on

the great gift of Jesus in the Eucharist,

being grateful for the abundant way that God shares

His Love, His Power and His Very Self with us.

Once again, how do you get to receive these most precious gifts ...

Jesus’ Power ... and Love ...  and Himself?

You have to come to Jesus!

And yet so many people don’t come … they say “Oh, I pray at home!”

Well I hope you do. But unless you come to Jesus in his House as He requested,

      you can’t be fed with Miraculous, Supernatural Bread from Heaven ...

    Bread that He wants you to have ... Bread that you need for Eternal Life.

And, you know, each time we receive Holy Communion ...

    we renew the covenant that God made with us ...  

the Covenant that Jesus instituted at the Last Supper when He said,

“This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant.”

In our Second Reading today, St. Paul asks this question:

“What will separate us from the love of Christ?”

And he asserts that nothing can separate us from the love of God …

not trial, not distress, not hunger, or danger.

In fact God often uses those things to draw us close to Him ...

so that we can feel His loving care once again!

So what will separate us from the love of God?

One thing and one thing only … our unwillingness to come to Him!

Realize how much God delights in us coming to Him ...

so that He can care for us and come to our aid in the most wondrous way.

Let’s come to God daily in prayer,

and at least once a week in person ...

giving Him opportunity after opportunity ... to blossom our gifts

 ... in a very special way!