In today’s Gospel we have St John’s account of the second multiplication of loaves in which the only matter available are five barley loaves and two fish. Not much for the great multitude who were coming to Jesus. St John tells us explicitly that Jesus knew very well what He would do, but He put His apostles to the test. So many times in our lives, we too find ourselves in hopeless situations with no human resources to speak of, no way out. The Lord is putting us to the test, to see what we are made of, to see if we will place our trust in His help.
Our present predicament resembles in some ways that of today’s Gospel: a handful of men trying to start a monastery, looking for a place to settle and build a monument to the glory of God, an oasis in the modern world where souls may come and be filled with divine grace. Human resources are lacking, but we are confident that Jesus “knows what He will do”. And that is enough for us. That is the cause of our joy on this Laetare Sunday. We rejoice because we know He is with us. And just as Mother Mary obtained the wine at Cana and Jesus provided the bread and fish in the desert, they will provide all that is needed for us. We doubt not and we move forward. “I rejoiced when they said to me ‘We will go forward to the House of God’ “.
