The Gospel of this Sunday presents to us the amazing story of the multiplication of bread, and Jesus feeding 5,ooo men and probably equal number of women and children. This story occurs in all four gospels and there are six versions of it.

A few years ago, when we were preparing children for first communion in Glenbrook parish, we talked about different stories that are in the bible about bread, and one child from the group named Clinton asked me a very important question.

“Father, what would have happened if the boy who gave that five loaves of bread and two fishes to Jesus to give to the people did not give to him those fishes and bread to be distributed?” It was a serious question, and I gave him a simple answer.

I said to him then maybe there would have been no story of the multiplication of the bread in the gospels. Was I underestimating the power of God? No way. God would have done something differently, but God works miracles through us.

God created this world with abundance, goodness and sufficiency. God created each of us to become that goodness and abundance that fills the earth. God created each of us to become that two loaves of bread and two fishes. He calls us to be the bread that is broken for others.

The great theologian and Bishop St Augustine instructed priests of his diocese to say to everyone coming to them for communion, as they held the sacred host to each communicant, “behold who you are, become what you receive”, which means each of us are the body of Christ and meant to become bread broken and given for the spiritual and material nourishment of the world.

Today as we continue to reflect on the multiplication of bread, we should remember He is the living bread broken for each of us.

While addressing the international Eucharistic congress in 1976 at Philadelphia, Father Pedro Arrupe reflected on the deep meaning of the breaking of the bread and the Eucharist.

He says: “We cannot properly receive the Bread of life without sharing bread for life with those in want”. He continued: “The celebration of (the) Eucharist is incomplete so long as there is hunger in our world”.

Each of us participate in the Holy Eucharist to be nourished spiritually by God’s word in the readings and by the Bread of life which we take and eat at communion.

Just as we are fed spiritually, we in turn are called to feed and nourish one another and our needy brothers and sisters by giving them our time, attention, food and other necessities. Then we become true disciples of Jesus.

Addressing the last Eucharistic congress, which was held in Indianapolis, Cardinal (Luis Antonio) Tagle elaborated to the faith community what that discipleship means. He says: “Jesus is sent to this world to be a gift in flesh for the world, and He is sent to be given”.

The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is a gift and fulfilment of his mission. He continued: “the Eucharist is a privileged moment to experience Jesus’ mission as a gift of Himself”.

Jesus nourishes each of us with the gift of Himself, broken and shared. He invites each of us to be enfleshed as His living body to be broken and shared as a gift for and with the rest of humanity. It does not matter how little or small our gifts are.

We may be like that little boy with two fishes and five loaves of bread or even with less but when given whole heartly, what we have and what we are into the hands of Jesus, He blesses it, multiplies it and gives it back to be distributed, which can feed everyone.

As we continue with our celebration, let us ask our lord to help us to open our hearts with the generosity of heart and the willingness to be broken for others.

Fr Jolly Chacko is the Parish Priest of St John XXIII Catholic Church Glenwood-Stanhope Gardens.