Fr. Bob Kus 
On this 18thSunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the fascinating story of Jesus feeding many thousands of people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (Mt. 14: 13-21).
The story begins after Jesus heard about the killing of John the Baptist. Though he tried to find a deserted place for himself, crowds followed the path of his boat. When he disembarked, he saw the vast crowds waiting for him, and he was moved with pity for them.
So, Jesus spent time curing the sick in the crowd. But as evening was approaching, his disciples told him that it would a good idea to dismiss the crowds so they could go to towns to buy food to eat. Jesus, though, told them to feed the crowd themselves. They argued that they could only come up with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
So, Jesus took the break and fish, looked up to heaven, blessed the food, broke the loaves, and gave the food to his disciples to distribute. The crowd numbered 5,000 men and who knows how many women and children.
After everyone had eaten their fill, the disciples gathered the leftovers that filled 12 baskets.
Theologians like to talk about this as a “Eucharistic” story, a precursor story foretelling the night Jesus took bread and wine and turned it into his Body and Blood and then commanded his apostles to do the same in his memory. Like the loaves and fish, the Eucharist will never run out; there is plenty for everyone, for Jesus came for all people, not just some of them.
But the story also reminds us of God’s amazing ability to multiply what we have. It never ceases to amaze me how God is able to take average, everyday folks and help them accomplish great things.
How is God multiplying your gifts?
