GOSPEL POWER l AUGUST 2, 2021

18th Week in Ordinary Time

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew  from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the  crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14When  he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for  them and cured their sick. 15When it was evening, the disciples came  to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late;  send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy  food for themselves.” 16Jesus said to them, “They need not go away;  you give them something to eat.” 17They replied, “We have nothing  here but five loaves and two fish.” 18And he said, “Bring them here to  me.” 19Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking  the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed  and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples  gave them to the crowds. 20And all ate and were filled; and they took  up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21And  those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children

T he episode of the multiplication of food enables us to  glimpse the difference between the new creation and the  old, a difference that has nothing to do with the physical  world order, but with the perspective from which the same world  order is viewed. Jesus embodies the new-creation perspective, whereas  his disciples represent the old, the one through which many of us also  view reality. The old creation perspective focuses on constraints and  limitations, causing one to see a situation as potentially problematic  — “This is a deserted place and it is already late”; “Five loaves and two  fish are all we have here.” Instead, the new creation perspective of Jesus  is radically open to God’s limitless possibilities — “There is no need for  them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” Such unconditional  trust that divine providence defies all limits is what produces miracles  and transforms the face of the earth. Lord Jesus, grant that we, too, may view every situation through your  new-creation perspective and thus experience in our life God’s limitless  possibilities. Amen.