18TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A
RECEIVE GOD’S ABUNDANCE
We
rate the success of any party by the quality of the food. When Filipinos come home from a party,
people ask: How was the food? Was
it plenty? Was it great? Before we
even rate the music, the decors, the games or the clothes worn, we think of the
food. We love parties because there is sure to be food there. And the food is free!
The
Word of God invites us to salivate over the images of food in the readings
today. The first reading speaks of
Isaiah’s invitation to the people of God returning from exile: you, who are
thirsty, who are hungry but without money, come and drink, come and eat. Come without paying! (the food is
free!) The gospel tells the story
of Jesus feeding the more than 5,000 people in the miracle of the
multiplication of loaves. The
letter of Paul to the Romans gives us the reason behind this generosity of God
in giving food to his people:
nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Today,
God continues to provide us food, to supply our needs. In the Bible, food
represented abundance, blessings, bounty that flows from the goodness of the
Lord. Food is not only about the blessings of bread, wine and rice. Today, this
food is found also in the healing of the sick and the consolation of the
wounded. This food is the grace of
perseverance and protection to those who trust in God. This food is the gift of
prosperity and of victory over trials.
But
there is a condition, the same condition that the readings make plain: one must
come forward, one must approach the Lord to partake of his blessings and taste
his abundance. The word of Isaiah
rings loud and clear: Come!
I
like the image of a table full of food.
It is there as an invitation, as a call, as an offering. The food will not move of itself. We must approach the table to sample
the food. But there are people who will not be able to eat from the table –
lazy people, shy people, proud people. I have talked to so many people who are
poor and say that they have no time for God. I have seen so many people who think they are too busy to
pause awhile and pray. They have time for television, for going to the malls
and for texting. But they have no
time to approach the table of blessings and abundance. No wonder these people are
undernourished spiritually, financially, morally or emotionally. They ignore God’s call and in the end,
forfeit their blessings.
Every
Sunday, we gather at the table of the Lord. This is where Jesus feeds us, for free. This is where he
shares with us not any ordinary food, but his Body and Blood, the nourishment
for eternal life. He does all this to manifest his undying love for all of us.
If we come to his table, surely we discover what it means to have Jesus as
companion and to share his abundance.
Those
who are faithful in approaching the Lord in the Eucharist know what abundance
flows into their lives. Our lives
may not be totally free from problems and concerns, but because we come to the
blessing, nothing can drag us down or prevent us from overcoming every
obstacle. We have great food,
powerful food that sustains us in our daily journey. We have come today and we hear the Lord say: Come and eat, come and drink. Come and receive all my blessings.
