St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

Let's put ourselves in this scene. After a long day, the exhausted and exasperated disciples try to get Jesus to send away the hungry throng. But Jesus looks at them, so preoccupied with their own selfish concerns, and says, "Feed them yourselves." Imagine their shock. Five thousand men, with another few thousand women and children, and the Master wants the apostles to give them a meal. They look at each other in confusion and apprehension. They point out that they have barely enough food even for themselves, let alone to feed thousands of hungry hangers-on. But Jesus insists, and finally they hand over their little stash, and Jesus works wonders.

The most obvious lesson hidden in this scene is about Christ's heart.  Jesus' compassion leads Him to put aside His own plans for the sake of the needy crowds. And then it overflows in a miracle so awe-inspiring that it is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. This is our God! He is always thinking of us! He fills us with good things and is preparing even better things for us in heaven.

But there are other lessons here too - like the lesson about how Jesus works.  After blessing and breaking the bread, He gave it to His apostles and told them to distribute it, and the miracle only occurred when they obeyed him. This is still how Jesus works today. He's a team player, not a solo act. He feeds each one of us with His Word and His sacraments through the Church. And He feeds those outside the Church with the light of His truth through each one of us. At least, He wants to - but it's up to us to let Him.

Ultimately, this is why missing Sunday Mass on purpose is a mortal sin. At baptism, we became members of God's family, and that membership is the source of our salvation.  But the DNA of this family is not in our blood, it's in Christ's blood, it's in God's grace. A family, in order to stay healthy and strong, has to gather together for family meals and activities. Just so, God's family, to stay strong in grace, has to gather around the altar where Christ's body and blood is offered in the Mass.

Imagine that a family is having an important gathering - maybe for the parents' 50th wedding anniversary. And imagine that one family member refuses to show up. Not because he's sick, or because it's too far to travel, or for any other legitimate reason, but just because he doesn't want to be there. What does that decision say about his heart? It says that his heart is no longer with his family; that he no longer cares about his important role in that community.

When we gather here on Sunday to celebrate the anniversary of our Lord's passion, death, and resurrection, to participate in that great event through the sacrament of the Eucharist, it says something about our hearts. It says that we recognize our dignity as children of God and don't want to lose it. It says that we know who we are, and that, in spite of our difficulties and failures, we want to continue striving to live out our Christian mission. How glad it makes Christ's Sacred Heart when we come to Sunday Mass! And how it pains Him when so many of His children refuse to come!  Christ's team is the winning team, but only willing, active members can share in the victory.

Jesus is a team player, and we are on His team. The goal of Christ's team is nothing less than eternal life and everlasting happiness. To achieve that goal, each of us needs to fulfill three basic team responsibilities.

First, we need to keep our eye on the ball - on Christ, that is. We need to stay close to our team leader, getting to know Him better every day, learning to see all things as He sees them. This we do by prayer, by reading and studying Church teaching, and by conversations with other people who know Christ well.

Second, we need to play good defense. Good defense means avoiding unnecessary temptations. We are all vulnerable to temptations that come from our own selfish tendencies, from the devil, and from the self-centered world around us. God gives us enough grace to resist temptations, but we cut ourselves off from that grace when we purposely put ourselves in dangerous situations, like wasting time surfing the Internet, going to parties centered on destructive behavior, distancing ourselves from family relationships and healthy friendships, or even just being lazy.

Third, we need to play good offense. Good offense is simply doing God's will. 90% of the time, God's will is easy to identify. It means following the commandments, obeying our conscience, fulfilling well our normal responsibilities, and striving to love our neighbor as ourselves. 10% of the time, God's will is hard to see - then we need extra prayer, patience, and the advice of a priest or other wise person.

Jesus is eager for us to discover the joy and satisfaction that comes from being more active members of His team. If we keep our eye on the ball, play good defense, and play good offense, we won't let Him down.