Homily – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Retrospection, reflection and hindsight.  These give us a trip down memory lane.  Some visit the good ol’ days, glorifying the past with nostalgia while wishing to remain there. Others, look back learning valuable lessons from history while seeking to always move forward.

When our ancient readers learnt that Jesus went to a lonely place, they read ἔρημος (erēmos), meaning a secluded or deserted place; evoking images of the past when the Israelites were in the wilderness fed with manna, and trusting in the goodness of God’s providence.  We too are given subtle hints about God’s generosity towards the Israelites in Egypt with references to the acclamation just prior to the Gospel, “No one lives on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, Jesus’ followers in this secluded place are hungry with only five loaves and two fish among them.  God in the person of Jesus shows us his generosity once again.  Moved with compassion, Christ raised his eyes to heaven, broke bread and performed the great miracle of feeding the multitudes, satisfying the hunger of those in front of him, as they “ate as much as they wanted.”  God’s generosity is on full display from the Old Testament to the New, and continues today with His hand feeding and answering all our needs.

If we look back and reflect on the hand of God in our lives, we can see his fingerprints all-over.  Sometimes, this can be difficult to see, especially in the past year as we experienced war, natural disasters, rising oil prices and costs of living, as well as our own personal sufferings and adversity.  Each day with his generosity, God offers us a new beginning.  And if we reflect at the end of each day, we can trace the finger of God, working miracles in the ordinary, showing us that His goodness and generosity are in abundance.

by Fr Ian Vergel