Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara
Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Jesus’ public ministry was marked by many miracles. Of all his miracles, only two—the Resurrection and the feeding of the five thousand—are recorded in all four Gospels. We can see why the Resurrection is recorded in all the Gospels, for it is a historic event, an earthquake, and the game-changing act that turned human history around. But why the miracle of the Loaves and Fish? The authors of the four Gospels considered the feeding of the five thousand a significant miracle. Feeding such a crowd with five loaves and two fish is indeed miraculous, but the Greek term used in today’s Gospel specifies males, and Matthew further emphasizes the point by adding, “not counting women and children.” Many biblical scholars believe the actual number of people fed that day could have been 15,000 to 20,000. Let us look at the priceless lessons from this miracle.
Matthew’s account says that when Jesus heard that John the Baptist, his cousin, had been put to death, he withdrew from public view and went alone to a deserted place. But the crowd wouldn’t give him a moment to mourn his great cousin. They followed him to the deserted place. When he saw them, “His heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.” By evening, the Lord’s disciples approached him and urged him to dismiss the people so they could go to nearby villages and buy food for themselves, for it was getting late and they were in a deserted place. What does Jesus say to them? “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” Feed them? This huge crowd? That’s impossible! The disciples informed Jesus that all they had were five loaves of bread and two fish. At this point, the story turned. Jesus called for the bread and fish to be brought to him. After giving thanks for the meal, he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples to give to the crowd. Impressively, the entire multitude was fed, and “they all ate and were satisfied.” Jesus did not just meet the need; he met it exceedingly. He lavished the people with so much food that there were “fragments left over— twelve wicker baskets full.” First lesson: Don’t look at your problems through your own resources. Instead, look at God. We are serving a very big God, who is always standing by our side. In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul says, “Walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus says, “With God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). When God is involved, miracles happen. I know it. Whenever there is a problem, our natural mind, which relies on physical senses and human reasoning, will tell us, “This problem is huge. It cannot be solved. It is impossible.” And it may be a great deal. But even at that point, allow your spiritual mind, which has been transformed by God and perceives reality through faith and divine truth, to take over, guide you, and rule you. Our problems are never too large for God to handle.
Jesus fed the people through his disciples. He could have simply snapped his fingers and fed everyone present. He could have even made the people’s hunger disappear. He could have turned stones in the deserted place into bread and fish. Remember, the devil’s first temptation of Jesus was to turn stones into bread. Jesus has the power to do that, but he did not. Instead, he engaged and involved his disciples in this great miracle of feeding the multitude. Second lesson: Christianity is about putting yourself in a position for God to use you. From time to time, I hear parishioners say something like, “What are you all doing about this person and that person?” “What are you all going to do about this and that situation?’ Well, I am glad we care about each other. I am pleased you are aware and attentive to what is happening in the parish. But it would be much more beneficial and sacrificial if you would step into the role of actually doing something about the situation you are talking about. The moment you notice an issue, God may be inviting you personally to do something about it. Yeah, it may be physically impossible for you to do certain things, but there is still something you can do. A parishioner once overheard Gerri and me talking about a file cabinet purchased for my office. Right there, she said she had a wooden file cabinet that would fit my office. Eventually, she coordinated with her son-in-law, who brought the file cabinet over to the office. She noticed an issue, discussed it, made plans to address it, and eventually solved it.
Has it ever occurred to you that the Lord didn’t need the loaves and the fish? Remember, this is the same God who created ex nihilo, who spoke the universe into existence. If he did that, he could have spoken corned beef sandwiches and rye bread for the people to enjoy. But he wants us to participate. Like the body of Christ, we have people who are teachers, evangelists, electricians, plumbers, cooks, security guards, cleaners, etc. We are all invited to participate in his Body. It is like prayer. God knows our prayer requests. He knows the needs we don’t even know about. Yet God calls us to pray. He wants us to participate in the Christian life. It is like the Great Commission. God tells us to go out and preach the good news to all people, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. That is also a call to participate. However, do not forget this spiritual truth: God needs nothing. God does not need our help. Yet he invites us to participate, and in that process God uses small things, small as mustard seeds, to show his great power, great love, and great mercy. Accept God’s invitation to participate.
God bless you!
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