30 July 2014

'You give them something to eat.' Sunday Reflections, 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, Lambert Lombard
Rockox House, Antwerp [Web Gallery of Art]


Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) 

Gospel Matthew 14:13-21 (New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, Canada)  

Now when Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Stamp issued in Chile for the beatification of Fr Alberto Hurtado SJ, 16 October 1994

Fr John Griffin, a Columban colleague from New Zealand, who after many years in the Philippines went to work in Chile wrote about a great saint of our times, San Alberto Hurtado SJ, a native of that country, in the last printed edition of Misyon, the Columban magazine I edit in the Philippines, March-April 2008.

One story he told in that article is a perfect expression of what happened in today's gospel. But first a little background in that same article:

Overall, Fr Hurtado is best known and remembered throughout Chile for his Hogar de Cristo (Christ’s Home) Foundation. The seed for this was sown late one night when he was on his way home to San Ignacio. He met a man who was in poor health, had eaten nothing all day and had nowhere to go.
This was the priest’s first encounter with such poverty and it moved him greatly. He did what he could for the man and then asked: ‘What are our Catholics doing for those who have no roof over their heads?’ He began asking this question during his retreats and so was born the idea of ‘Hogar de Cristo’. He formed a board of directors from people eager to help – six men and 30 women. Land was available alongside the Jesuit parish of Jesus the Worker and the first night-shelters were built and an appeal for funds began. By 1945 there were five shelters that had been able to house 12,000 poor men. Now it was time to do something for the numerous ‘street kids’ who spent their nights under the many bridges over the Mapocho River which runs for miles through Santiago. These youngsters needed educations as well as shelter and land was donated for this purpose a few miles to the north of the city near Colina railway station and a children’s home was built.
Today's gospel tells us: Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
Stamp issued in Chile for centennial of birth of San Alberto Hurtado, 2001

Fr Griffin continues about San Alberto: 
Providence was always on his side. At a meeting one night his board of directors was unwilling, for lack of funds, to approve a new project. In the midst of discussions there was an unexpected call for Fr Hurtado to attend to someone at his front door. He had a brief conversation with the caller who said she wanted to leave a gift to help the great work he was doing.
He gratefully put her envelope in his pocket, wished her a good evening and returned to his meeting. He looked at the contents of the envelope as he sat down. Then he tossed a check onto the table saying, ‘There you are, you of little faith!’ It was for one million pesos – worth about US$30,000 at that time.
The directors on the board of Hogar de Cristo were being prudent, as they were supposed to be and, in being so, following what Jesus teaches us elsewhere in the gospels. But Father Alberto was listening to what Jesus said to the Apostles today: They need not go away; you give them something to eat.
I'm sure that when Father Alberto threw the check on the table and said 'There you are, you of little faith' he did so with a smile that expressed both irony and gratitude and that the board members saw the irony and felt the same sense of gratitude.
Once again we find the presence of Jesus in the needs of others - and in one who joyfully lives the Gospel.

Smile and move forward! Total sacrifice is perpetual joy. The squaring of the circle? No. Because there is a secret link between the gift of self, out of love, and peace of soul. (San Alberto in a retreat to priests, 1948.)

The Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ's cross, constantly invites us to rejoice. (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of the Gospel, No 5, 2013.)


+++


 A Hymn to Alberto Hurtado SJ
Written by Pablo Coloma for the beatification of Blessed Alberto on 16 October 1994, Sung by Pablo Coloma and Ximena Concha

Alberto, hoy resuena tu nombre                         
Se escucha tu palabra encendida
Tu rostro hoy recorre las calles
Tu huella marca un nuevo camino
Profeta que anunciaste el Reino
Supiste denunciar el dolor
Reíste con un canto a la vida
Mostraste un camino mejor.

Alberto, your name resounds today,
your enlightening word is heard,  
your face is seen today on the streets,
your footprints mark a new path.
A prophet who proclaimed the Kingdom,
who knew about pain,
who laughed with a song to life,
who showed a better way.

Alberto contemplé tu figura
incendiando las calles de una oscura ciudad.

Y vi que mil rostros reían
y otros más comprendían que era el paso de Dios.
Alberto has tocado nuestra alma
y ya siento que enciende ese fuego de Dios.
Tu vida fue un regalo divino,
una historia que hizo de este Chile un hogar.
 
Alberto, I watched you
lighting up the streets of a dark city.
And I saw a thousand faces laughing
and others who understood that that was the way of God.
Alberto, you have touched our soul
and I feel that I am lit by the fire of God.
Your life was a divine gift,
a story that made this Chile a home.

Maestro que enseñaste a vivir
la vida como lo hizo Jesús,
mirando en los hombres que sufren
su cuerpo castigado en la cruz.
 
A teacher who taught how to live
as Jesus did,
looking at those who suffer,
his body punished on the cross.

Apóstol, compañero de pobres,
viviste en tu carne el dolor
de tantos que viván despreciados,
tus manos fueron pan y un hogar.

Apostle, companion of the poor,  
you lived in your flesh the pain
of the many who are despised,
your hands were bread and a home.

Alberto contemplé tu figura

incendiando las calles de una oscura ciudad.
Y vi que mil rostros reían
y otros más comprendían que era el paso de Dios.
Alberto has tocado nuestra alma
y ya siento que enciende ese fuego de Dios.

Tu vida derramada en las calles
se alsa inmensa hasta el cielo en las manos de todos.
 
Alberto, I watched you
lighting up the streets of a dark city.
And I saw a thousand faces laughing and others who understood
that that was the way of God.
Alberto, you have touched our soul
and I feel that I am lit by the fire of God.
Your life poured out on the streets
is infinitely raised to heaven in the hands of all.


Hymn for San Alberto's Canonisation
Canción para un santo amigo
Written by Jaime De Aguirre and Sergio Bravo, sung by Cecilia Echenique

Padre Hurtado estas conmigo.
Me abres la puerta de tu hogar
Siento que tengo un santo amigo,
un santo que conmigo se sienta a conversar

Father Hurtado, you are with me.
you have opened the door of your home for me;
I feel I have a holy friend,
a saint who sits down to chat with me.

Padre hurtado tu me pides
que hasta que duela debo dar.
Que nunca puedo conformarme
pues cuando sufre alguien 
es Cristo que ahí esta.
 
Father Hurtado, you ask me
to give until it hurts,
that I can never be at ease
because whenever someone suffers Christ is there.

Contento, Señor, contento,
es un regalo de Dios,
un santo que es el milagro
de hacer el mundo mejor.

How joyful, Lord, how joyful,
a saint who is a gift from God,
a miracle
to make a better world.

Lo veo en Valparaíso,
lo esperan en Puerto Montt.
Por todas partes buscando
que a nadie le falte Dios.
 
I see him in Valparaíso,
they wati for him in Puerto Montt.
Looking everywhere
so that no one will miss God’s presence.

Obrero entre los obreros,
minero en el mineral,
compañero en el trabajo,
amigo en la soledad.
 
A worker among workers,
a miner among miners,
a companion at work,
a friend in loneliness.

Contento, Señor, contento.
Contento me siento yo.
El santo de los chilenos
hoy llena el mundo de amor.
 
How joyful, Lord, how joyful.
I feel joyful.
The saint of the Chileans
now fills the world with love.

Padre Hurtado eres conciencia, 
conciencia de la humanidad,
sueñas con un país de hermanos
poniendo en nuestras manos el pan de la unidad.
 
Father Hurtado, you are
the conscience of mankind,
you dream of a country of brothers
holding in our hands the bread of unity.

Padre hoy tienes tantos hijos,
todos te quieren saludar.
Gracias por mostrarme a Cristo, por las obras que yo he visto.
hoy tomo mi lugar.
 
Father, today you have many children,
all wanting to greet you.
Thank you for showing us Christ, for the works that I've seen.
Today I take my place.

Contento, Señor, contento,
 es un regalo de Dios,
un santo que es el milagro
de hacer el mundo mejor.

How joyful, Lord, how joyful,
a saint who is a gift from God,
a miracle
to make the world better.

Lo veo en Valparaíso,
lo esperan en Puerto Montt.
Por todas partes buscando
que a nadie le falte Dios.
 
I see you in Valparaíso,
they wait for you in Port Montt.
Looking everywhere
so that no one will miss God’s presence. 

Contento, Señor, contento.
Contento me siento yo.
El santo de los chilenos
hoy llena el mundo de amor.
 
How joyful, Lord.
I feel joyful.
The saint of the Chileans

now fills the world with love.

Antiphona ad communionem     Communion Antiphon (Wisdom 16:20.)


Panem de caelo dedisti nobis, Domine,
You have given us, O Lord, bread from heaven,
habentem onme delectamentum,
endowed with all delights
et omnem saporem suavitas.
and sweetness in every taste.




 

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