By KLEIN FAUSTO EMPERADO
Youth of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente
2 Kgs 4:42-44
Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
Eph 4:1-6
John 6:1-15
Typhoon Carina and monsoon rains have both had an impact on the country in recent days. Metro Manila experienced the worst flooding in most places, resulting in damage to people’s lives, homes, and livelihoods. River water levels surged as a result of severe rainfall. Many people needed shelter, food, and clothing for the next few days. People are desperate for even the most basic essentials.
This week’s events bring us back to Jesus’ time, when he was gazing down at the people from the top of a mountain. These people followed him because they wanted to hear and listen to the message of the reign of God.
Jesus often withdrew from the crowd to spend quiet time for contemplation, but this time he was moved with compassion for the people who were clearly starving after their individual journeys. Jesus could have remained on the mountaintop and watched the crowd. He would have continued his time in solitude, but he came down to meet the needs of the people.
That schedule was too important for him. He did, however, recognize the importance of meeting people’s needs. Too often, we don’t want to be disturbed with our schedules and choose to ignore what is going on in the surroundings, especially when disasters strike in our communities.
Where is the church during these times of disasters? This is a common question for individuals who criticize the church when it is exercising its prophetic ministry.
Just this week, we have seen how churches opened their sanctuaries to serve as safe shelters for the families affected by the floods. They offered meals and provided immediate relief packs. The sight of churches open for those in need of refuge serves as an example of how a church should respond. No matter how limited the resources are, when the church—the people of God—work together and pool their resources, it can make a difference for those in great need.
For this Sunday’s gospel text, one of the disciples noticed a child carrying five loaves of bread and two pieces of fish among the crowd. Let us consider another possibility: how the child was spotted. Because the child was open enough to show what he had brought along for the journey. Most of the people in the crowd may have hidden their food for fear of being asked to share it with the crowd.
The attitude of the people in the crowd appears to reflect how we Christians function in today’s world when there is a need to share our resources with those in need. This mindset is particularly evident among individuals in positions of authority in our country and around the world. They control the resources necessary to feed the hungry, treat those who are sick, provide drink to the thirsty, home the homeless, clothe the naked, and provide dignified lives for the poor.
The greed for wealth and properties has become the reason for the sufferings of humanity and the whole of creation. The poor are the most vulnerable and severely impacted when natural disasters strike. We must remain persistent in our call to action for disaster mitigation and prevention, as well as increase our efforts to demand for system change – so that the people’s capacities will increase and vulnerabilities to decrease. It is also part of our ministry as Christ’s followers: to care for the environment and to safeguard God’s creation from destruction.
In a similar way, we are encouraged to share our resources with those in need. We are asked to participate in God’s mission of establishing the reign of Shalom on earth. One of the most basic manifestations of this Shalom is that every table must have decent food to eat, clean water to drink, a safe place to sleep, free and quality education for the young, fair wages for workers, and adequate healthcare benefits for all.
As in the Gospel narrative, the food blessed by Jesus was able to feed and satisfy those in the crowd, including men, women, and children who are not mentioned in the text. And there were many food leftovers, which were gathered later. Like the communion bread and the wine we partake in the Eurcharist, here we reflect that what God will bless will truly satisfy our hunger, be it physical or spiritual.
We, as the people of God, must be willing to become bread and fish. We must be willing to be broken and blessed to carry out God’s mission in order to feed and meet the needs of those who need God the most, despite the dangers, risks, and sacrifices needed to serve God’s name.
Siya Nawa! Hinaut pa unta! Kabay pa! 
Balik-Tanaw is a group blog of Promotion of Church People’s Response. The Lectionary Gospel reflection is an invitation for meditation, contemplation, and action. As we nurture our faith by committing ourselves to journey with the people, we also wish to nourish the perspective coming from the point of view of hope and struggle of the people. It is our constant longing that even as crisis intensifies, the faithful will continue to strengthen their commitment to love God and our neighbor by being one with the people in their dreams and aspirations. The Title of the Lectionary Reflection would be Balik –Tanaw , isang PAGNINILAY . It is about looking back (balik) or revisiting the narratives and stories from the Biblical text and seeing, reading, and reflecting on these with the current context (tanaw).
