18th Sunday, Multiplication of Loaves & Multiplication of Hosts at Mass

 

In the Gospel today, we see how the multiplication of the loaves is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist and the Holy Mass and we come to know Jesus' love for us by multiplying Hosts during the Mass of St. Don Bosco and the Mass of a priest from Oklahoma at World Youth Day.

As the crowds followed Jesus into a deserted place, Our Lord’s Heart was moved with pity. And so after a long day, without food in a deserted place, the disciples wanted to dismiss the crowds, so they could get something to eat. But Jesus said, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” It may seem odd to carrying fish, in a deserted place, but at that time, dried or baked fish was carried for traveling.

Jesus ordered the crowds to sit on the grass. He took five loaves and two fish, and “looked up to heaven, said the Blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples who in turn gave it to the crowds”.

How could 5,000 men, not counting women and children, eat from 5 loaves and 2 fish, and be satisfied? It was a true miracle. It foreshadows what happens at Mass. How is it, all who attend Mass can receive Jesus in Holy Communion? There is only one Jesus. At Mass each person is able to receive the whole and entire person of Jesus. At Mass, it’s a multiplication of His presence, a true miracle.

Some modern Catholic theologians, say when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish the people shared their own bread and fish with those who didn’t had any. But this is absolutely false. This idea contradicts scripture, which says Jesus “looked up to heaven, said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples who in turn gave it to the crowds”.

There is not a single Church Father, nor Pope, nor document of the Church referring to the multiplication of the loaves, as one big time of sharing. This false idea clouds the fact, Jesus worked this miracle for the purpose to foreshadowing and preparing hearts for the marvelous gift of the Eucharist. Today, Our Lord’s presence in the Eucharist feeds millions of souls by multiplying His own Body, through the hands of His priests.

There are eight points of how the multiplication of the loaves foreshadow the Mass.

1. Jesus was concerned about their hunger. He said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” (Mark 8:2-4) They hadn’t eaten for some time and were hungry. (We don’t eat by fasting before Communion, which creates a longing for Jesus). The people are hungering for earthly food, but when we come to Mass, we hunger to receive the heavenly food, the body of Christ.

2. “When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34) As Jesus fed the crowds through His teachings, so Jesus feeds feed the crowds through priests, His shepherds, through the Sacred Scriptures and homily at Mass.

3. Jesus told His apostles, “Give them some food yourselves.” (Priests, as shepherds feed many with the body and blood of Christ.)

4. At another multiplication Andrew said, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:90) Andrew gave the bread and fish that came from the boy to Jesus to be multiplied. (At Mass we give our self and our gifts with the bread and wine given to the priest, who gives it to Jesus. The little we give is multiplied by God’s grace for others).

5. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.” (Matthew 14:19) At the Last Supper, “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples.” (Matthew 26:26) The bread is blessed, broken and given to eat. Our Lord’s blessed body is broken as a sacrifice on the Cross and then His body is given to us to eat during the Holy Mass, after the sacrifice of Calvary is re-presented on the altar. The Mass foreshadows the banquet of heaven.

6. All ate and were satisfied. Our hearts are filled with grace when we receive Holy Communion, and our soul is satisfied by that which is eternal.

7. The bread and fish were multiplied so all can eat.

(At Mass Jesus multiples His presence so all can receive Him in Communion).

8. They “picked up bread filling 12 wicker baskets left over”. If Jesus is concerned about not wasting bread, how much more is He concerned about the Particles of Hosts left over after Communion. Each particle is the whole and entire person of Jesus.

The Lord loves His people and He greatly desires to come into the hearts of His people.

Besides working the miracle of multiplying His presence during the Mass when bread is changed into His risen resurrected Body, sometimes Jesus works additional miracles so as to satisfy those who come to Mass hungering for Him.

A priest from Oklahoma attended World Youth Day in Denver in 1993. During the papal Mass of Pope Saint John Paul II, he helped distribute Holy Communion. He said, "As the youth were coming forward, I realized I was going to run out of Hosts." There came a point when there was only one Host left and then after he gave a communicant Communion, he looked down and there was another Host, before his eyes, Hosts were multiplied until the last young person received Holy Communion and was the last Host in the ciborium. It was a miracle of multiplication of Hosts.

During time of the life of St. Don Bosco from 1815 to 1888, Jesus worked a miracle on the feast of the Annunciation on March 25th.

Everyone at the Mass noticed there were only eight Hosts remaining on the corporal in the Tabernacle, they wondered what St. Don Bosco would do. He had to give Communion to 360 young people at Mass. Giuseppe Buzzetti was serving Mass that day and saw how the Hosts were multiplied. Buzzetti became one of the first Salesian priests, founded by St. Don Bosco.

My friends, the Heart of Jesus is moved with pity for us and so Our Lord gives us His body at Mass, that we may unite our heart to His Heart in Holy Communion. Let us thank Jesus for His tremendous love for us by giving us the Holy Mass and Himself in the Eucharist.