“Give Them Some Food Yourselves.”  (Luke 9:13a)

This weekend’s Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is linked with Luke’s account of the feeding of the 5000 (Luke 9:11b-17). . As the day unfolds, the Apostles tell Jesus to dismiss the crowd so that they can buy something to eat.  The Apostles only have 5 loaves and 2 fish with them. But Jesus says “Give them some food yourselves.”   

Just prior to this event the Apostles had returned from their first missionary journey. They were excited because their journey was so successful. And they had just been recipients of the hospitality of people who wanted to know Jesus.      

So it’s no wonder that Jesus tells the disciples to give that crowd something to eat. It’s about offering the best hospitality they can give to those 5000 people. It doesn’t matter how much they have to give, it’s about their willingness to share whatever they have.   

Not only that, but sharing their food with that big group is a specific way to ‘Feed the Hungry', which is the first corporal work of mercy.  Feeding the hungry and sharing the Eucharist cannot be separated.  

Jesus saw the the connection between those 2 things and He hopes that we and the Apostles can see that link too.