Reflection for Sunday July 25, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 6:1-15

Gospel: John 6:1-15

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" 

He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." 

Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted. 

"So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

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Reflection:

The story is told about a young woman who was doubting if she would be able to fulfill her childhood ambition to become a doctor. So, she asked her mother to pray that she would be able to realize her childhood dream. Then, her mother said to her, “Daughter the Lord will help you achieve your childhood dream for as long you don’t doublt.  

Do you sometimes doubt when you have a prayer before Jesus?   

Our doubts will always be a stumbling block for the realization of what we pray for. But why doubt? Perhaps our faith is lacking or perhaps we have not yet developed a close friendship with Jesus that is why we doubt. Doubt by itself is a negative word and as such is not good and helpful to us. We therefore have to eliminate doubt in our system of thinking so that we would be able to achieve whatever we want. 

In our gospel for this Sunday, Philip and Andrew were already doubting if Jesus would be able to feed the large crowd that have been following Him. Philip said to Jesus, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little." (John 6:7) Andrew said to Jesus "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" (John 6:8-9) 

Jesus simply told them: “Have the people recline." (John 6:10) And after which the multiplication of the loaves and fish happened. They therefore were able to feed the five thousand men and they had plenty to spare. 

What is the lesson that the Lord is trying to communicate with us in this miracle of the loaves and fish? There is no impossible with Jesus. Everything is possible for those who never doubt, for those who always believe and for those who have faith in Jesus. 

Do you want something from the Lord? Trust, believe, have faith and you will have it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas