17TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: DIVINE APPROACH TO HUMAN SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL ‘HOW’ QUESTIONS

(John 6:1–15)

“Ihe nile banyere anyi na emetu Chukwu n’obi…” (The Lord cares about everything concerning us).

In the Gospel of today, Jesus looked at those who had accompanied Him on the journey to the hills. This movement with Jesus can be seen from a spiritual perspective. It is a longing for the Lord. It is a spiritual hunger. It is a holy desire to bring in God to fill the vacuum no one else can fill in us. It is a seeking of God. It is a thirst for divine peace, manifestation, and intervention. It is a hunger in expectation of satisfaction, which only God can give.

On the other hand, God sees the human efforts, the human limitations, and then the helplessness of man without divine assistance. He comes towards the man who has made the effort to come to Him. He takes from the little he has and maximizes it. He multiplies and provides for his needs. He made them sit down (on green pastures as the psalmist would say). By so doing, God gives rest to the toiling man, He gives peace to the hopeless man. He became the last hope of these common men. He feeds them with dignity. He gave them food to eat. He did not throw the food for the people to struggle over it. He didn’t make jest of their plight. He didn’t humiliate them because He was feeding them. No. He fed them with love, care, respect, and honour. Indeed, they were satisfied.

TAKE HOME

CONCERN FOR THE SPIRITUAL NEEDS

Jesus invites each one of us to emulate Him in showing concern for our spiritual needs and those of the people around us. Do we really make it a point of duty to lift up our souls to God in prayers, in meditations, and in communion? By so doing, we shall be climbing the hills with the Lord. Do we care to go for confessions and remain in the state of grace always? Are we devotees of Jesus and the saints or devotees of social stars and idols? Do we look up to Jesus for the great signs He has left us in the sacraments? Do we have strong faith in what God can do for us and therefore move away from whatever stops us from following Jesus and being where He is?

As a husband, do you make out time to satisfy the spiritual longings of your soul? You should make out time for the word of God and your sacramental life. Do not stop at providing the physical and material needs of your family members. It is not just about paying their school fees and tuitions. It is not only about feeding them with these and that. The soul deserves to be fed with heavenly nourishment. They deserve moral nourishment, and they are entitled to disciplinary attention. They should be looked at with love. We should all make our world a better place by reducing or flushing out of it all those who reverence only the desires of the flesh and have no place for the spiritual.

CONCERN FOR TRUE MATERIAL NEEDS

Jesus took over the human limitations. Just as He took flesh to be like us, He takes the little we have to make out something from it. He collected the five loaves and two fish, gave thanks, and distributed it. We should make love go round. The little we have should be used to touch lives positively. It shouldn’t be used to torment people. It shouldn’t be used for intimidations and molestations. We can feed even one person. We can give pocket money if we can’t pay the school fees, and we can share with people what God has blessed us with.

We are encouraged not to be wasteful, not to be unnecessarily extravagant with resources; food, water, electricity, money, and all that God has blessed us with.

LET’S NOT BE WORRIED

The apostles questioned how they would be able to feed the people? Am I Father Christmas? This is a popular question we ask in this part of the world. Never regret acts of charity.

Let us entrust all things in God’s hands when we have made our effort. Let’s resign like Andrew to the Almighty, who will never fail to do great things in our lives for holy is His name. Let’s invoke God to take over our concerns, bless them, and help us love one another. May God bless His word in our hearts.

LET US PRAY

O God, our heavenly Provider, thank You today for bringing us to the high mountain where we have gathered to be nourished from the table of your word, your body, and your blood. Bless us with Your Divine assistance, and may Your love be ever with us through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Happy Sunday (17th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh