Matthew 14:13-21

Jeremiah 28:1-17

Psalm 119:29, 43, 79, 80, 95 102

Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,

he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.

The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,

“This is a deserted place and it is already late;

dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages

and buy food for themselves.”

He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;

give them some food yourselves.”

But they said to him,

“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”

and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,

he said the blessing, broke the loaves,

and gave them to the disciples,

who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied,

and they picked up the fragments left over–

twelve wicker baskets full.

Those who ate were about five thousand men,

not counting women and children.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the provident Father who provides earthly and heavenly food to your children. I ask you to give me and my family our daily bread. I also ask for the supernatural Bread of Life. May I receive it worthily and deepen my communion with your Son.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Hananiah vs. Jeremiah: The First Reading contrasts the false prophecy of Hananiah with the true prophecy of Jeremiah. The false prophet promised that the exiles of Judah would return within two years and that Babylon would be overthrown. Jeremiah, on the other hand, cautions against opposing Babylon. The year was 594 B.C. This was when the puppet-king Zedekiah invited delegates from the surrounding areas (from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon) to Jerusalem to form an alliance against Babylon. In response, “Jeremiah sent letters to the delegates and then confronted the king, not only declaring to him the folly of his ways but also insisting that the Lord was working on the side of the Babylonians. He asserted that, at this time, to oppose the empire was to oppose [the Lord] and, conversely, to serve Babylon was to submit to the Lord (27:1-22)” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 298). Jeremiah appeared before Zedekiah wearing a wooden yoke. This symbolized that the people must submit to Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon. According to Jeremiah, the people of Judah should humbly accept the yoke of Babylon, for God has given Judah into the power of Babylon. Hananiah, however, took the wooden yoke from Jeremiah’s shoulders, broke it in front of the people, and encouraged the people to rebel against Babylon.

2. Jeremiah’s Prophecy of 70 Years of Exile: Hananiah’s actions helped Jeremiah foresee the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah. The wooden yoke the people would have received will now be replaced by a yoke of iron and instead of continuing as a vassal of Babylon, the exile to come will last seventy years (Jeremiah 29:4-23). The question naturally arises: Who was the true prophet? Was it Hananiah, who promised an end to the exile and the destruction of the yoke of Babylon? Or was it Jeremiah, who promised a seventy-year exile in Babylon? In the end, the death of Hananiah, foretold by Jeremiah, confirmed Jeremiah’s prophecy. The word of God that he proclaimed was authentic. According to Jeremiah, the Babylonian Exile would be a time of suffering, but also a time of grace and new beginnings. One day, Jeremiah promised, the Lord would restore the people to their land. “The Lord had taken his people into exile precisely so that he could transform them and provide a future that would include restoring them to their land. God's people were now separated into two parts, like two baskets of figs. The good ones were in Babylonian exile, and the rotten ones remained in Jerusalem. The Lord was even now bestowing his blessing on those in Babylon as the source of hope and promise for the future (24:1-10)” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 298).

3. The True End of the Exile: With the coming of Jesus Christ, there is a true end to the exile and a true restoration of Israel. Jesus manifests that he is the long-awaited Messiah. He does this through mighty deeds, authoritative teaching, and the fulfillment of the law and prophets. Today, Jesus manifests his divine power to feed the 5,000 with just five loaves and two fish. Matthew hints that the event of the multiplication of the loaves anticipates the Eucharist by using the same series of verbs here and at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26): taking, blessing, breaking, giving. Jesus also fed the crowds through the hands of the apostles and this points forward to their priestly ministry: “They distribute the bread provided by Jesus in anticipation of the eucharistic liturgy, where the priests of the New Covenant give the Bread of Life as Holy Communion to the Church (1 Cor 10:16; CCC, 1329)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 33).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I need your strength and your grace. I realize how weak I am without you and how strong I am with you and your Spirit. Help me to welcome and bear my cross each day and help those around me to carry their cross.

Living the Word of God: Do I truly examine my conscience before receiving the Eucharist? Do I have a clear knowledge of my serious and venial sins? Am I consoled by the forgiveness of my venial sins when receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus?