1 Kings 4:42-44 / Ephesians 4:1-6 / John 6:1-15
By the expectations of the world, there are at least two things that will capture attention.
One is this: the bigger the better. In other words, size does matter.
The other is this: the more the better.
So, attention will be given to something big, whether it is a car, or a house or a building.
And when it comes to more, that is measured in terms of numbers.
Like how much is a business is worth, or how much is a celebrity is worth.
By current expectations, even millions are considered ordinary, because it is those in the billions that will get the attention.
So, the bigger the better, the more the better. That is the influence and the expectation of the world, that is the measurement and the direction of the world.
And as Christians in the world, we can also be influenced by such expectations, and even conform to such measurements and directions.
Today's gospel points out some of these worldly influences.
But today’s gospel also reveals the mysterious love of God in the simple and humble.
In the gospel, a large crowd was following Jesus because they were impressed with the signs He gave by curing the sick.
And the gospel tells us that the large crowd numbered around 5,000. That is quite a crowd.
And then Jesus asked His disciples if they could buy some food for the crowd to eat.
One of His disciples, Philip, looked at their finances, and told Jesus that they could hardly buy enough bread to feed the crowd.
Another of His disciples, Andrew, said that there is a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish.
But that is obviously not enough for such a large crowd.
And here is where the mysterious power of God's love is revealed beyond human reckoning.
Jesus took the five Loaves and the two fish, gave thanks to God, and gave it out to the crowd.
The crowd ate as much as they wanted, and what was even more surprising was that 12 baskets of leftovers were collected.
The crowd was so impressed by it, that they wanted to take Jesus by force and to make Him king.
The crowd wanted to make Jesus king because they saw that He could provide more for them.
They see Him with worldly expectations, but they did not see the sign.
They did not see that in the simplicity and humility of that small boy with five loaves and the two fish, God's blessings came in abundance.
In the simple and humble, God reveals the mysterious power of His love and providence.
There's this story of Pope Francis when he visited a particular country. As expected, there were detailed preparations, and an impressive altar was constructed for the celebration of the Mass.
When Pope Francis arrived at the venue, it started to rain heavily, and strong winds blew the rain onto the altar.
Finally, the rain stopped, and it was possible for Mass to commence.
But that impressive and elaborate altar and it's surrounding area was drenched and soaking wet.
The alternative was the Credence table, or the side table, which is used to put all the accessories for the Mass.
So that simple and humble side table became the altar for the Pope’s Mass.
That is one of the many instances when the simple and humble became a sign of God's mysterious choice to show His love and providence.
So, while the world looks at what is more and bigger, let us pay attention to the simple and humble.
The simple and humble is the sign that God wants us to look at.