by Vincent | Apr 28, 2017 | General Interest, Reflections, homily
Today’s Gospel Passage about the loaves and fishes is among my favourites. I love the idea of the boy offering what he had with him so that a crowd could be fed. One of the traits that most annoys me in people is that of meanness (sometimes coupled with cuteness) and always it annoys me. On the contrary, generosity in word and deed has a good effect – a knock-on effect – and should always be encouraged. I read this Gospel passage at my father’s Funeral Mass in March 2011. It very much reminded me of him and his ways – anybody who called to our home knew what I meant. My father was obsessed with feeding people and “no” was seldom, if ever accepted as a response to having something. I asked my cousin, Sean McDonnell, to read a few words I’d written as a reflection that day and thought I might share them here again. They honour generosity and good example …
They asked me why I did it?
The truth is I don’t know – it just seemed the right thing to do. We had been standing there for hours. He had spoken so much, said so much – time just went by. People were hungry. You could see it in them and yet nobody wanted to leave. There was a muttering through the crowd – “he wants to feed us” – “With what?” someone said – “there’s no food here”.
That’s when I heard myself saying “I have something” – my voice seemed so loud. I was only a child but my voice rose above all others. “I have something”. A man asked what had I and I said “five loaves and two fish” – he smiled. I suppose now I would think it was a dismissive smile but that day I thought he was pleased. He passed on the message “There’s a small boy here with five loaves and two fish” – my heart sank when he added “but what is that between so many?” I blushed and even with my childish counting of two and two making four, I could see he was right. The man who had been talking to us did not agree. “Bring it to me”, he said and they took my food. I’ll never know how it happened but the feeding began. Bread and fish fed to five thousand.
“Why did you do it?” I’ve often thought about that. I did it because my father would have done it. He was always sharing bread with people at home. I grew up seeing him do that. Truth be told, it was he who had given me the few loves and fish before I left the house. I did it because he would have done it. It was the right thing to do.
There’s nothing to beat a father’s good example. Thanks Bill! We will not forget.
by Vincent | Jun 27, 2015 | Reflections, Religion
Tonight we think of the woman healed in the crowd. I’ve often thought that a tour guide in the Holy Land could point out the field where that happened but only the woman herself could take you to the exact spot in the field! Finding Jesus, becoming aware of healing is precious and the point of contact remains just that, a point of contact. The following story (author unknown) makes the point well.
Here is a beautiful old story about Zacchaeus, the tax collector. It tells how in later years, he rose early every morning and left his house. His wife, curious, followed him one morning. At the town well he filled a bucket… And he walked until he came to a sycamore tree. There, setting down the bucket, he began to clean away the stones, the branches, and the rubbish from around the base of the tree. Having done that, he poured water on the roots and stood there in silence, gently caressing the trunk with both of his hands. When his amazed wife came out of hiding and asked what he was doing, Zacchaeus replied simply, “This is where I found Christ.” I can just imagine that for the rest of their lives, that woman who touched the tassel of Jesus’ robe that day on the street… and the daughter of Jairus who was raised up in that room in her home, continually brought people back to those sacred spots and said, “This is where I found Christ! This is where Christ loved me into life!”
Do you have a sacred spot like that? This is the Good News of our Christian faith, isn’t it? Love has the power to heal, to reconcile, and to redeem.
by Vincent | Jan 20, 2013 | Reflections, Religion
There’s a story told of two men who met for lunch one day. One of them was a man of deep and committed faith. He was happy to profess this Faith, live and be guided by it. His friend did not share the faith, in fact he did not believe at all. He liked, nonetheless, to discuss religious matters with his friend and, one such discussion took place over lunch.
“Did Jesus turn the water into wine?” the friend asked. “Yes”, replied the other. “You believe this for sure?” “Absolutely”. After a while the friend pointed to the jug of water on the middle of the table. “You’re telling me, that Jesus turned water like that into wine at Cana? You can’t really believe that. It’s not possible.” The other said it was not humanly possible but that Jesus, as Son of God was a miracle worker and that he did change water into wine at a wedding reception in Cana. He did this because his mother had pointed out to him that the couple had not realised the need there would be for wine and that what they had provided was about to run out. She did not wish to see them embarrassed and just simply said to Jesus, her son, “They have no wine”. It was from that moment, that whisper the miracle came.
“Well if you really believe that. If you REALLY believe in him, ask him to do the same now. Here’s the jug, ask Jesus – your Jesus – to turn the water into wine.” “No”, replied the other. “For years I battled with alcoholism and people I loved suffered greatly as a consequence. Many years ago I asked Jesus for a miracle and he delivered. I will never ask him to do what you’ve just asked. You see my miracle worked the other way and changed my life”. “What do you mean?”
“I asked him to turn the WINE INTO WATER”.
by Vincent | Jul 30, 2012 | General Interest, Reflections, Religion
Yesterday took us back to that field where five thousand and more gathered to hear the Lord speak. It takes us to that moment when a small boy offered five loaves and two fish to help feed the multitude and to the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. It’s one of my favourite gospel passages. In fact it’s the one I used at my father’s Funeral Mass since he did his bit to feed the multitudes throughout his life and, in a particular way, towards the latter end of that life – insisting that everyone who called to the house, even for a minute, had to be fed before leaving!! I shared again at Mass yesterday the few lines I’d written as a Post Communion reflection at Bill’s Mass. Though they are elsewhere on this blog, I thought I might repeat them here as well.
Let us never underestimate the difference our offering, however small or humble, can make …..
They asked me why I did it?
The truth is I don’t know – it just seemed the right thing to do. We had been standing there for hours. He had spoken so much, said so much – time just went by. People were hungry. You could see it in them and yet nobody wanted to leave. There was a muttering through the crowd – “he wants to feed us” – “With what?” someone said – “there’s no food here”.
That’s when I heard myself saying “I have something” – my voice seemed so loud. I was only a child but my voice rose above all others. “I have something”. A man asked what had I and I said “five loaves and two fish” – he smiled. I suppose now I would think it was a dismissive smile but that day I thought he was pleased. He passed on the message “There’s a small boy here with five loaves and two fish” –my heart sank when he added “but what is that between so many?” I blushed and even with my childish counting of two and two making four, I could see he was right. The man who had been talking to us did not agree. “Bring it to me”, he said and they took my food. I’ll never know how it happened but the feeding began. Bread and fish fed to five thousand.
“Why did you do it?” I’ve often thought about that. I did it because my father would have done it. He was always sharing bread with people at home. I grew up seeing him do that. Truth be told, it was he who had given me the few loaves and fish before I left the house. I did it because he would have done it. It was the right thing to do.
There’s nothing to beat the good example of a father …..
