In today's chosen gospel account, Mark 8:1-10, we encounter another of the biblical feeding stories. A compassionate Jesus to to answering a need among a crowd following him through a deserted area near the Sea of Galilee. Why are these feeding events in both Old and New Testament accounts? A simple, basic response would be this: God does not overlook the physical needs of those seeking to know more about himself. Mark's account adds further goodness by recording the great abundance of God's care for "about four thousand people." So immense was the abundance that "the fragments left over" were "seven baskets."
What can we glean from this Marcan story? Not only is Jesus feeding some four thousand hungry people, he is likewise feeding their spirits, a much more personal part of each person's being. It is that part of who we are where physical food or drink does not satisfy spiritual hunger and thirst.
Often in many peoples lives there arises this question: "Why am I so driven by this or that hunger?" What is this hunger or thirst that neither food nor drink nor things can satisfy? While Jesus cannot be found walking along the coastlines of our oceans, bays, lakes or rivers, God does not fail to share his power to feed those who come to him. Come to him?
Yes, in prayer and in the Eucharist. How blessed are we in God's abundance! We do believe Jesus walks with us and is food given to us in the Eucharist, in receiving Holy Communion. It is in this feeding each day that God helps us strengthen our spirit. The Eucharist is the food supreme that helps us open our eyes and hearts to see what will bring us happiness and peace.
