Jesus'
feeding of the five thousand is a sign of God's generous care and provision for
his people. When God gives, he gives abundantly. He gives more than we need for
ourselves so that we may have something to share with others, especially those
in need. God takes the little we have and multiplies it for the good of others.
Jesus'
feeding of the five thousand points to the superabundance of the Lord's Supper
or Eucharist. In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered as a sacrifice of
thanksgiving to the Creator who made the earth fruitful to nourish and
strengthen all his creatures. Melchizedek is an important Old Testament figure
because he was both a priest and a king who offered a sacrifice of bread and wine
to God on behalf of Abraham and his future offspring. His offering prefigured the offering made by
Jesus, our great high priest and king who gave a new and distinctive meaning to
the blessing of the bread and the cup of wine when he instituted the "Lord's
Supper" or "Eucharist" on the eve of his sacrifice on the
At
Jesus' last supper meal, after he had poured the final blessing cup of wine and
had given thanks to his Father in heaven, he gave it to his disciples and said,
"Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" Jesus did this as a
memorial of his death, which would take place the next day on the cross of
Calvary, and his resurrection which occurred on the third day - Easter morning.
The shedding of Jesus' blood on the cross fulfilled once and for all the old
covenant sacrifice of the paschal lamb at Passover time (Hebrews 10:11-14; 1
Corinthians 5:7: 1 Peter 1:18-19). That is why John the Baptist had
prophetically called Jesus the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world" (John 1:29).
When
we receive from the Lord's table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes
us sharers in his body and blood.
When
we approach the Table of the Lord, what do we expect to receive? Healing,
pardon, comfort, and rest for your soul? The Lord has much more for us, more
than we can ask or imagine. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist is
an intimate union with Christ. As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so
the Eucharist strengthens us in charity and enables us to break with disordered
attachments to creatures and to be more firmly rooted in the love of Christ.
Dates
to remember - June 19 Father's Day
brunch after the 9:30 AM Mass and 11:30 AM Mass. Tickets are $12 for adults,
six dollars for children 5 through 12 and those under 5 are free. I am asking
once again, for volunteers for this event. Please email me at
pjones@stdominicschurch.ca if you would
like to help with this event.
Totus
tuus camp - The final day for registration for our summer camp is June 1.
Please register as soon as possible so that we can begin planning for this
event.
I hope you have a good
week,
Fr. Phil
