ABOUT THIS EPISODE
All four Gospels report the miraculous feeding of the five thousand. Matthew's account particularly emphasizes the festal dimensions of this miracle, in which Fr. Jeff argues that we glimpse an anticipation of the Eucharistic meal. Matthew underscores the actions of taking, blessing, breaking, and giving away the bread of the banquet in the lonely place where Jesus feeds the crowds. These same actions are at the heart of our Eucharistic prayer. In this story we see some fundamental realities of God's actions in our world: God takes what we already have and turns it into a miracle. The miracle is almost unnoticeable, but we see that because everyone is satisfied at this meal and that twelve baskets of leftovers are retained by the crowds this incident is a rebuke of wasteful pagan feasting and an indicator of the bountiful feast that Jesus commands us to observe in church.
