I make these reflections with an FAO report (SOFI - State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World*) dated July 24 indicating India being the house to the largest under-nourished population. 194.6 million people. Under-nourishment means habitual food intake inadequate to supply energy needs for leading a normal active life. It is indicative of hunger.
Is it possible that there will be no one going to sleep hungry? Is such a world possible?
Today, the first reading (2 Kings 4:42-44) presents to
us Prophet Elisha, feeding over 100 people with the 20 loaves offered to him by
a devotee.
The willingness to share and spare leads to ‘enough
for all’.
The 193 world nations have agreed upon 17 goals of development with target 2030 and the second in the list is NO HUNGER, indicating the global resolve to ensure that no one is forced to go hungry to sleep.
The Psalmist assures us that God provides for the needs of all people, all creatures (Ps 145). It is that divine spirit in humans that can make it possible for human beings to have a hunger-free world.
In the letter to Ephesians (4:13), St. Paul reminds us of the call to 'bear with one another' as we are all one family in Christ. Not just bearing with, but bearing one another's burdens, and caring for one another, as when any one is deprived we are deprived as one family of God.
Jn 6:1-15 Multiplication of the Bread
We understand that St. John had done his narration of
the good news of Jesus, last in the order of the gospels, with several years of
reflection and preaching having taken place by then. Hence, when St. John
narrates it is not a mere narration of an incident or teaching, but with definitive
Christian reflection behind it.
This miracle is happening against the background of
the feast of Passover – commemorating the redemptive act of God, from the
slavery and want of Egypt, to the possession of free promised land of abundance.
When John presents this miracle of the multiplication of earthly food to
thousands, there is a reminder of God’s provision of ‘enough for everyone’ –
neither more nor less – of food in the forty years of their march to the
promised land. There is also an indication towards the Passover of Jesus and
the future spiritual food of Eucharist offered in abundance for all for the forgiveness
of sins.
However, I would like that we dwell on some very earthy
dimensions of Christian spirituality in this connection today. This very
impressive miracle of feeding a large crowd of about half a dozen thousand
people – assuming there were women amounting to at least one-fifth of the men present.
The Lord Jesus shows a realistic approach to human concerns – the so-called
basics of food, water and shelter (now we add Education and labour with
dignity), while we take for granted air and earth.
This concern of Jesus for human needs is reflected in
the prayer he taught us, where he places God as the Father providing for the
needs of the family of creation. Bread is not merely indicative of food to
sustain the body, but is also a symbol of human needs for psychological,
spiritual and social support.
Let us look at this beautiful miracle narrative to
draw inspirations for our Christian life:
1. The Lord’s concern for the basic needs of
the people. Nobody has demanded food from him.
They were following him enamoured by his healing powers, and perhaps also
by his person and teachings. However, he shows his concern for the well-being
of his followers, and remembers that they would need nourishment for their
body. A similar concern is expressed when he heals the girl thought to be dead:
‘give her something to eat’.
This implies a call to all of us Christians
not to wait to be invited or demanded to reach out in help to those in need –
having an eye for the needs of others around or even beyond us.
As disciples of Christ, let us have this
concern for the people around us. Can a Christian community be at ease when
there are people in their neighbourhood having no food, clothing and shelter? Yes,
we used to do much in this regard, and still do. (I hear that there are over
800 soup kitchens and food pantries run by ‘Food Bank for New York City’ and ‘City
Harvest’ reaching out to over a million o But can we put on Jesus’ mind and
ensure that there is no hungry person around in the geographical limits of a Catholic
parish?
This is an excellent area for dialogue and
Christian unity, where all Christians churches in an area can collectively
address this issue; and perhaps even reach out beyond.
2. Jesus elicits participation and
involvement. He invites ideas from his disciples – some of them are negative,
some are positive. We find Andrew, unsure, still hoping that Jesus will find
some possibilities in the five barley loaves and two fish. And Jesus proves that hoping in him will not
be in vain. Let that be our model of
trust – that our modest efforts can make a change with the Lord with us – as St.
Paul would insist: I can do all things in him who strengthens me (Phil 4:13).
3. Jesus goes about his acts – his works of goodness
- blessing God – He knows that all that
we have, even our limitations and limited resources, are gifts from God, to
whom we ought to turn in gratefulness. Gratefulness for the gift of life, and
gifts in life, especially food. This had been a Christian tradition, which
appears to be gradually disappearing. The Holy Father, in his encyclical LS
(227) mentions the significance of such symbolic actions as ways of sustaining the
fundamental disposition one ought to have with God – of gratitude for the daily
blessings – food on our platter, and several other things we take for granted –
water to drink and wash and cook, air to breathe, the soil that nourishes and
supports our lives. Let us reinforce that good Christian practice of saying
grace before our meals, besides cultivating the attitude of gratitude for the
blessings we don’t count.
4. It is with that small contribution of an
unidentifiable young man that Jesus could satisfy the thousands. This is
significant – that our modest contributions can go a long way in fulfilling the
needs of millions. This is already
happening today – however, this does not suffice. If Bill Gates could dream of
a computer on every desk in every home and realise that target by more than 50%
in less than 3 decades; how much more can be realized if the Christian
community works together to dream that no one sleeps hungry in the world. The
miracle of feeding the whole world is surely possible today, provided we are
willing to share our barley loaves – nay spare what we do not need, or what we
waste
5. This leads to a significant area of ‘avoiding
waste’ and sparing the resources. Jesus
sets an example with another symbolic act of 12 basketfuls of leftover saved
indicating the abundance of the good news to be produced by each of his
disciples. To a more earthy concern: the Holy Father teaches that "Whenever
food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor."
Not that we have to overeat lest we waste, but rather we determine our needs,
and use food and other resources – it can also be water, paper, tissues,
packaging, clothes, footwear, energy or any other matter of consumption. A 21st-century Christian virtue is not being
wasteful and not generating waste – rather, making an effort to moderate our
consumption based on our need, rather than our greed.
6. And finally, Jesus’ clarity regarding his mission – establishing the kingdom of God. St Paul would say: Kingdom of God is not in eating and drinking, but in justice, peace and joy in the holy spirit. But definitely, justice and peace imply that the basic needs of all are met. For politicians of several nations, including India, the provision of free food for the hungry is an easy route to secure vote banks. India's NITI Ayog report of 2023-24 claims that 99% of the eligible beneficiaries are covered under the Food Security Act of 2013 through schemes like antyodaya anna yojana*.
As far as Christian spirituality is concerned, the establishment of God's reign demands a new turn in life style of Christians - a lifestyle which cares for the way in which live – we cannot say: ‘our lifestyle cannot be compromised’. It has to be, so that the world can have enough.
7. A very positive step in this regard had been the encyclical Laudato Si of the Holy Father as a prelude to the Paris Agreement which decided upon 17 goals for the sustainability of life on the planet. His follow-up letter 10 years later, Laudate Deum, regrets that our Christian community the world around is yet to tune our spirituality requiring a paradigm shift in conceiving our needs and the call for justice to people across the globe and for the generations to come.
Prayer
Father in Heaven, who
takes care of our daily needs, we thank you for all your gifts. Lord Jesus, the
bread of life who promised life in abundance we thank you for your message that
the good news also implies that human beings and all creatures have enough to
live their life with dignity they deserve. Lord, open our eyes to the
possibilities of reducing our wastefulness, wants and wantonness, and of reaching
out to others in need – that we are able to replicate your miracle of abundance
through sharing, and become missionaries after the heart of the early Christians
who dared to share everything in common. Amen.
*<https://thewire.in/health/undernourished-highest-global-india-un-report> July 27, 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment