By Msgr. Joseph Prior • Posted July 26, 2024

Nothing is impossible for God. You may remember the angel Gabriel telling Mary these words as he announces that she will conceive and give birth. He references Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, who in her old age has conceived and will give birth to a son. The angel’s words remind us that God can take seemingly impossible situations and turn them into a moment of grace.

We hear of these situations over and over again in the Scriptures. The Israelites enslaved by the Egyptians are freed. Jerusalem besieged by the Assyrians is suddenly delivered from their grip. The Jews dying of hunger in the desert find manna in the morning light. The disciples being thrashed about in a violent storm are brought to peace when Jesus says: “Quiet, be still!” Jesus threatened by the crowd on the cliff walks away unharmed through their midst. The woman condemned for adultery looking up to find her accusers, prosecutors, judges and executioners all gone.

We also find abundant examples in the life of the Church, particularly in the lives of the saints who recall God’s special intervention of help transforming darkness to light, despair to hope, doubt to faith.

The gospel passages for our Sunday liturgies during the next five weeks will come from the Gospel according to John, specifically from chapter six, which has often been referred to as “the bread of life discourse.” So much of this discourse involves or refers to seemingly impossible situations that have been transformed into grace-filled moments. These include the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Jesus’ offering his flesh and blood as true food and true drink, God’s intimate embrace of humanity in sending his Son, and the Word whose words offer “spirit and life.”

The passage for today’s Mass recalls the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. The vivid memory of this event in the life of the early Church is particularly evident in that each of the four written gospels present the event. The story reminds us of God’s saving intervention in a very particular situation. He recognizes the need of his people, is moved with compassion and turns an impossible situation into a moment of grace.

The large crowd is following Jesus because of his healing ability. Notably he takes them up on a mountain. You may recall that in the Scriptures, mountains are often a place of encounter with God.

Interestingly, the evangelist gives us a time reference, writing that the “Jewish feast of Passover was near.” This feast recalls God’s saving the Israelites from death both from the Egyptians and to spare them from the last plague. The feast is celebrated with a meal which consists of, among other things, unleavened bread and wine and an unblemished lamb that will be sacrificed and eaten. It may be beneficial to keep this brief reference in mind as the weeks go by and we hear the full account of the discourse.

Philip, seeing the vast crowd of “about five thousand” men (perhaps more if women and children are counted), is alarmed. The impossible situation is that there is no food for them here on the mountain. When Jesus asks Phillip where they could buy food for the people, Phillip responds that not even 200 days’ wages worth of food would be enough for them to have even a little. His response highlights the impossibility of the situation.

Andrew chimes in that there is a boy present who has “five barley loaves and two fish.” His incredulity manifests itself as he says, “but what good are these for so many?” Jesus had asked the original question to test Philip and the others. The sign he is about to do will help move them from doubt to faith.

Everything changes when Jesus has them recline, takes the bread, blesses and distributes it. The fish are distributed as well. Everyone eats until they are full. When the fragments of the five loaves are gathered, they will fill twelve wicker baskets, for nothing is impossible with God.

The “twelve” baskets full of bread points to several things. The number twelve is significant in the life of Israel and the Church. There were twelve tribes in Israel and there are twelve apostles in the Church.

The “twelve” may point to the Church herself when she will be the vessel for the “bread of life.” She will also be charged with caring for those who are hungry and in need; to change impossible situations to opportunities for grace; to help others move from doubt to faith.

The people respond in faith saying: “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” While this is true, much more will be learned from the One who provided bread for them to eat, about who he is as well as the food that satisfies the soul as well as the body.

The first reading recalls a similar event in the life of Israel. In this case twelve barley loaves feed 100 people. In this story the man who brings Elisha the loaves sees this situation, like Phillip and the others in the gospel account, as an impossible situation. Elisha the prophet insists, saying: “For thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.” They did eat and there was left-overs, for “nothing is impossible for God.”

All of us, at one time or another, whether as individuals, as part of a family or as part of a community, have and perhaps will face impossible situations. Situations that are seemingly hopeless, helpless or insurmountable.

We may be out of work looking for a job with no offers coming. We may be sick and no diagnosis or cure coming. We may find community divided with little room for common ground (perhaps like the political discourse in our country today). We may be looking for relief from grief but finding no consolation. We may be weighed down from the stress but not finding release. The list could go on and on. Each one may seem like an impossible situation.

God seeks us out, even in these situations, and with him who is “over all, in all and through all,” an impossible situation may become an opportunity for grace and a movement from doubt to faith.

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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.