17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B (나해 연중 제17주일)
1st Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44
The Multiplication of the Loaves
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[42] A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the first
fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha
said, "Give to the men, that they may eat." [43] But his servant said, "How am I
to set this before a hundred men?" So he repeated, "Give them to the men, that
they may eat, for thus says the Lord, 'They shall eat and have some left.'" [44]
So he set it before them. And they ate, and had some left, according to the word
of the Lord.
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Commentary:
4:42-44. Baal-shalishah was almost 25 km. west of Gilgal. Given that the bread
of the first fruits was designated for God (cf. Lev 23:17-18), the man offers it to
Elisha because he is a prophet of the Lord; but Elisha, because food was scarce,
wants to share it. These hundred prophets were probably members of the groups
of prophets that Elisha belonged to when he was living with Elijah. Elisha orders
the bread to be shared out, at the same time uttering an oracle he received from
the Lord (cf. v. 43), and the miracle is duly performed. Jesus Christ will also work
the miracle of the multiplication of loaves – after the apostles raise an objection
similar to that in v. 43 (cf. Mt 14:20; 15:37 and par.).
2nd Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6
A Call to Unity
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[1] I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to
which you have been called, [2] with all lowliness and meekness, with patience,
forbearing one another in love, [3] eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. [4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to
the one hope that belongs to your call, [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6]
one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.
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Commentary:
1-16. The second part of the letter points out certain practical consequences of
the teaching given earlier. The underlying theme of the previous chapters was the
revelation of the "mystery" of Christ--the calling of all men, Gentiles and Jews, to
form a single people, the Church. The second part of the letter begins with an ap-
peal to maintain the unity of the Church in the face of factors making for division--
internal discord (vv. 1-3), misuse of the different gifts or charisms with which Christ
endows individuals (v. 7), and the danger of being led astray by heretical ideas (v.
14). Against this, St Paul teaches that the Church's unity is grounded on the one-
ness of God (vv. 4-6), and that Christ acts with full authority in the building up of
his body, through its various ministries (vv. 8-13) and through its members' soli-
darity (vv. 14-16).
1. The exhortation begins by stating a general principle: a Christian's conduct
should be consistent with the calling he has received from God.
Enormous consequences flow from the fact of being called to form part of the
Church through Baptism: "Being members of a holy nation," St. Escriva says,
"all the faithful have received a call to holiness, and they must strive to respond
to grace and to be personally holy [. . .]. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who founds the
holy Church, expects the members of this people to strive continually to acquire
holiness. Not all respond loyally to his call. And in the spouse of Christ there are
seen, at one and the same time, both the marvel of the way of salvation and the
shortcomings of those who take up that way" ("In Love with the Church", 5-6).
Speaking about incorporation into the Church, which is the way of salvation,
Vatican II exhorts Catholics to "remember that their exalted condition results,
not from their own merits, but from the grace of Christ. If they fail to respond in
thought, word and deed to that grace, not only shall they not be saved, but they
shall be the more severely judged (see Lk 12:48: 'everyone to whom much is gi-
ven, of him will much be required'; cf. Mt 5:19-20; 7:21-22; 25:41-46; Jas 2:14)"
("Lumen Gentium", 14).
2-3. The virtues which the Apostle lists here are all different aspects of charity
which "binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Col 3:14) and is the mark
of the true disciple of Christ (cf. Jn 13:35). Charity originates not in man but in
God: "it is a supernatural virtue infused by God into our soul by which we love
God above everything else for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for
love of God" ("St Pius X Catechism", 898). In its decree on ecumenism the Se-
cond Vatican Council shows the perennial relevance of these words of St Paul:
"There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without interior conversion.
For it is from interior renewal of mind (cf. Eph 4:23), from self-denial and unstin-
ted love, that desires of unity take their rise and develop in a mature way. We
should therefore pray to the Holy Spirit for the grace to be genuinely self-deny-
ing, humble, gentle in the service of others and to have an attitude of brotherly
generosity toward them" ("Unitatis Redintegratio", 7).
Charity is basic to the building up of a peaceful human society. 'The conscious-
ness of being trespassers against each other goes hand in hand with the call to
fraternal solidarity, which St Paul expressed in his concise exhortation to 'forbear
one another in love'. What a lesson of humility is to be found here with regard to
man, with regard both to one's neighbor and to oneself! What a school of good
will for daily living, in the various conditions of our existence!" (John Paul II,
"Dives In Misericordia", 14).
The peace which unites Christians is the peace which Christ brings, or rather it is
Christ himself (cf. 2:14). By having the same faith and the same Spirit, "all find
themselves", says St John Chrysostom, "brought together in the Church--old and
young, poor and rich, adult and child, husband and wife: people of either sex and
of every condition become one and the same, more closely united than the parts
of a single body, for the unity of souls is more intimate and more perfect than that
of any natural substance. However, this unity is maintained only by 'the bond of
peace'. It could not exist in the midst of disorder and enmity.... This is a bond
which does not restrict us, which unites us closely to one another and does not
overwhelm us: it expands our heart and gives us greater joy than we could ever
have if we were unattached. He who is strong is linked to the weaker one to carry
him and prevent him from falling and collapsing. Does the weak person feel weak?:
the stronger person tries to build up his strength. 'A brother helped is like a strong
city', says the wise man (Prov 18: 19)" ("Hom. on Eph, 9, ad loc".).
Union of hearts, affections and intentions is the result of the action of the Holy
Spirit in souls, and it makes for effectiveness and strength in apostolate.
"Do you see? One strand of wire entwined with another, many woven tightly toge-
ther, form that cable strong enough to lift huge weights.
"You and your brothers, with wills united to carry out God's will, can overcome all
obstacles" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 480).
4-6. To show the importance of unity in the Church, and the theological basis of
that unity, St Paul quotes an acclamation which may well have been taken from
early Christian baptismal liturgy. It implies that the unity of the Church derives
from the unicity of the divine essence. The text also reflects the three persons
of the Blessed Trinity who are at work in the Church and who keep it together --
one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father.
4-6. 교회에 있어 일치/단일성(unity)의
중요성, 그리고 바로 이 일치의 신학적 근거를
보이기 위하여, 성 바오로는,
초기의 그리스도교 세례 전례(baptismal
liturgy)로부터
입수되었을 것이라고 보더라도 괜찮을(may well) 한 개의 환호(an
acclamation)를 발췌
인용합니다(quotes). 이것은 교회의 일치/단일성(unity)이
신성적 본질(divine essence)의
단일성(unicity)으로부터
도출됨을 의미합니다. 이 본문은 또한, 교회 안에서
일을
하시는 분이신 그리고 교회를 단결시키는(keep together) 분이신
-- 하나의 성령,
하나의 주님, 하나의 하느님 및 아버지 -- 복되신
성삼위의 세 위격(persons)들을
반향합니다(reflects).
There is "only one" Holy Spirit, who brings about and maintains the unity of Christ's
mystical body; and there is "only one" such body, the Church:
"오로지 한 분이신(only one)" 성령께서
계시는데, 바로 이분께서 그리스도의 신비로운
몸(the mystical body)의 일치/단일성(unity)을
초래하시고(brings about) 그리고 지속하시며
(maintains), 그리하여, 다음과 같이, "오로지 하나의(only
one)" 바로 그러한 몸인, 교회
(Church)가 있습니다:
"After being lifted
up on the cross and glorified, the Lord Jesus pours forth the Spirit
whom he had
promised, and through whom he has called and gathered together the
people of
the New Covenant, which is the Church, into a unity of faith, hope and
charity, as
the Apostle teaches us (Eph 4:4-5; Gal 3:27-28) [...] It is the Holy Spirit,
dwelling
in believers and pervading and ruling over the entire Church, who brings about
that
wonderful communion of the faithful and joins them together so intimately in Christ,
for he [the Spirit] is the principle of the Church's unity" (Vatican II, "Unitatis Redin-
tegratio", 2).
"십자가 위로 들어올려지시고 그리고 영광을 받게
되신(glorified) 후에, 주님이신 예수님께서는
당신께서 이미 약속하셨던 이 거룩한 영(the Spirit)을
바깥으로 쏟아내셨으며(pours forth),
그리고 바로 이 영을 통하여 그분께서는, 유일한 교회(the
Church)를 말하는, 새 계약의 백성을
불러서, 그리고, 이 사도[즉, 성 바오로]가 우리들에게
가르치듯이 (에페소 4,4-5; 갈라티아
3,27-28), 이 백성을 신덕(faith, 믿음),
망덕(hope, 희망) 및 애덕(charity,
사랑)으로
구성된 한 개의 일치/단일성(a unity)
안쪽으로 함께 모아 오셨다. [...] 믿는 이들 안에
거주하고 계심으로써 그리하여 전체 교회 위에서 널리
퍼짐으로써 및 지배하심으로써, 열심
신자들의 바로 이 경이로운 통공을 초래하시고 그리하여
그리스도 안에서 매우 밀접하게
그들을 함께 결합시키시는(join together) 분은, 바로
성령이신데, 왜냐하면 바로 이분께서
교회의 일치/단일성(unity)의
원리(principle)이시기 때문이다" [제2차 바티칸 공의회
문헌,
1964년 11월 21일자, 세계 교회일치에 대한 교령(Decree on
Ecumenism), "Unitatis Redintegratio",
제2항]
All Gentiles as well as Jews are called to join this Church; all, therefore, share the one
single hope--that of being saints which is implied in the vocation they have received.
유다인(Jews)들 뿐만이 아니라 모든 이방인(Gentiles)들도
바로 이 교회에 결합하라는(join)
부름을 받고 있으며, 바로 이러한 방식으로(therefore) 모든
이(all)들은, 하나의 단일한 희망
(one single hope), 즉, 그들이 이미 받은 소명(vocation) 안에
암시된 성인(saints)들이 되라는
바로 그 희망을, 함께 나눕니다(share).
Recognition of there being only one Lord, who is head of the mystical body, un-
derlines the unity that should obtain among all the many members of this single
body. All its members are solidly built on Christ when they confess "only one"
faith--the faith that he taught and which the Apostles and the Church have ex-
pressed in clear statements of doctrine and dogma.
이 신비로운 몸(the mystical body)의 머리이신
오로지 한 분의 주님(only one Lord)께서
계심을 알아차림(recognition)은, 바로 이 단일한 몸의 수많은
구성원들 모두 사이에서
반드시(should) 획득되어야 하는, 이
일치/단일성(the unity)을
뒷받침합니다(underlines).
그 구성원들 모두는 그들이 "오로지 하나인(only one)"
신앙/믿음(faith)을, 그리스도께서
가르치셨고 그리고 사도들 및 교회가 교리(doctrine)
및 교의(dogma)로
구성된(*)
분명한
명제(statements)들로써(in) 표현해 온 바로 그 신앙(faith)을,
고백할 때에 그리스도 위에
확고하게(solidly) 의거하게 됩니다(are built on).
-----
(*) 게시자 주: 다음의 주소에 접속하면, 이들
사이의 커다란 차이점에 대하여 학습할 수
있다. 필독을 권고드린다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/dogma&doctrine.htm <-----
필독 권고
-----
"There can be only one faith;
and so, if a person refuses to listen to the Church,
he should be considered, so
the Lord commands, as a heathen and a publican
(cf. Mt 18:17)" (Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis", 10).
"오로지 하나의 믿음이 있을 뿐이며, 그리하여, 만약에
어떤 자가 교회 쪽으로 귀를
기울이는 것을 거부한다면, 그는, 그렇게 주님께서
명령하시듯이, 한 명의 이교도인
(heathen)으로서 및 한 명의 세리( publican)로서 (마태오
복음서 18,17 참조), 반드시
(should) 간주되어야 합니다" [비오 12세, 회칙 "Mys
tici Corporis", 제22항]
All Christians have also received only one Baptism, that is, a
Baptism by means
of which, after making a profession of faith, they join the other
members of the
Church as their equals. Since there is only "one Lord, one faith,
one baptism,"
모든 그리스도인들은 또한 오로지 하나의
성세(聖洗)(one Baptism)를, 즉, 바로 그것에
의하여, 신앙고백을 한 후에, 그들이 교회의 다른
구성원들에, 그들과 동등한 자들로서,
결합하는(join) 한 개의 성세(聖洗(a Baptism)를 받았습니다.
왜냐하면 오로지 "한 분의
주님, 하나의 믿음, 하나의 성세(聖洗)"가
있을 뿐이기 때문입니다.
"there is a common dignity of members deriving from their rebirth
in Christ, a common
grace as sons, a common vocation to perfection, one salvation, one hope and
undivided charity. In Christ and in the Church there is, then,
no inequality arising
from race or nationality, social condition or sex, for 'there is
neither Jew nor Greek;
there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor
female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus' (Gal 3:28; cf. Col 3:11)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 32).
"그리스도 안에서 그들의 다시 태어남으로부터
파생되는(derived) 구성원들의 한 개의
공통의 품위(dignity), 자녀(sons)들로서 한 개의 공통의 은총(grace),
완미(perfection)
쪽으로 한 개의 공통의 소명(vocation), 하나의 구원(salvation),
하나의 희망(hope) 및
분리되지 않은 애덕(undivided charity)이 있다. 그리스도 안에서
및 교회 안에서, 그리하여,
인종(race) 혹은 국적(nationality), 사회적 조건 혹은 성(sex)으로부터
일어나는 불평등
(inequality)은 전혀 없는데, 왜나하면 '유다인도 그리스인도
없고, 종도 자유인도 없으며,
남자도 여자도 없는데, 이는 여러분들은 그리스도 예수님
안에서 모두 하나이기 때문입니다'
(갈라티아 3,29; cf. 콜로새 3,11)" [제2차 바티칸 공의회
문헌, 교회에 관한 교의 헌장,
"인류의
빛"(Lumen Gentium), 제32항]
God, the Father of all,(*) is, in the last analysis, the basis of the natural unity of
mankind. Pope Pius XII, after recalling that the sacred books tell us that all the
rest of mankind originated from the first man and woman, and how all the various
tribes and peoples grew up which are scattered throughout the world, exclaimed,
-----
(*) 게시자 주: 바로 이 부분은, "RSV"(Revised
Standard Version Catholic Edition)의
해당 본문이 아니라, "새
대중 라틴말 성경"(Nova Vulgata)의 해당 본문을
따르고
있음에, 반드시 주목하라.
-----
만물(all)의 아버지이신 하느님은, 그
마지막 해석에 있어, 인류의 자연적 일치(the
natural unity of mankind)의 근거입니다. 교황 비오 12세는,
[바로 아래에 제38항의
일부가 발췌된 회칙의 제36항에서] [그리스도인들이
아닌]
인류의 나머지 모두가
첫 번째 사람 및 여자로부터 유래하고, 그리고 이 세상
전체에 걸쳐 흩어져 있는 다양한
부족들 및 사람들 모두가 어떻게 성장하는지, 성서(the sacred
books)들이 우리들에게
말함을 상기시키신 후에, 다음과 같이 외치셨습니다(exclaimed):
"This is a wonderful vision which allows us to reflect on the unity of mankind: all
mankind has a common origin in the Creator, as we are told, 'one God and father
of us all' (Eph 4:6); moreover, all men and women share one and the same nature:
all have a material body and an immortal and spiritual soul" ("Summi
Pontificatus",
18).
"다음은 인류의 일치에 대하여 우리들이 숙고하는(reflect)
것을 허락하는 한 개의
경이로운 환시/통찰력(vision)입니다: 인류 모두가, 우리가 '하나의
하느님 그리고
우리들 모두(us
all)의
아버지'(에페소 4,6)이라고 듣게 되듯이, 창조주
안에서
한 개의 공통 기원을 가지고 있으며, 그리고 더 나아가(moreover),
모든 사람(men)들과
여자(women)들은, 다음과 같이, 하나의 및 동일한 (one and the
same) 본성(nature)을
함께 나누고 있다(share): 모든 사람들 각자(all)가 한 개의
질료적(material) 몸(body)
그리고 한 개의 불멸의 및 영인(immortal and spiritual) 영혼(soul)을
가지고 있다"
[교황 비오 12세(Pope Pius XII), 1939년 10월
20일자 회칙, "Summi
Pontificatus", 제38항]
God is "above all": his lordship and control over things means that he is the
author and maintainer of their unity. Throughout history he has acted "through all"
his children, that is, believers, whom he has used to bring about unity among
men and over all created things. And he dwells "in all" the faithful, for they be-
long to him; even the deepest recesses of their hearts are his.
하느님은 "만물 위에(above
all)" 계십니다: 사물(things)들 위에
있는 당신의
주님 되심(lordship) 및 통제(control)는 당신께서 그들의 조물주(author)
및 유지자
(maintainer)이심을 의미합니다. 역사 전제에 걸쳐 당신께서는
당신의 자녀들, 즉,
믿는 자들 "모두를 통하여(through
all)" 활동해 오셨는데, 당신께서는,
사람(men)들
사이에서 그리고 모든 창조된 사물(things)들에 걸쳐(over)
일치(unity)를
초래하기
위하여(bring about), 그들을 사용해 오셨던 것입니다.
그리하여 당신께서는 열심
신자(the faithful)들 "모두 안에(in
all)" 거주하시는데(dwells), 이는
그들이 당신께
속하기 때문이며, 그리고 심지어 그들의 심장(hearts)들의
가장 깊은 부분
(recesses)들까지도 당신의 것이기 때문입니다.
Gospel Reading: John 6:1-15
The Miracle of the Loaves and Fish
--------------------------------------------------
[1] After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea
of Tiberias. [2] And a multitude followed Him, because they saw the signs which
He did on those who were diseased. [3] Jesus went up into the hills, and there
sat down with His disciples. [4] Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at
hand. [5] Lifting up His eyes, then, seeing that a multitude was coming to Him,
Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?"
[6] This He said to test them, for He Himself knew what He would do. [7] Philip
answered Him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of
them to get a little." [8] One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother,
said to Him, [9] "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but
what are they among so many?" [10] Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."
Now there was much grass in the place; so men sat down, in number about
five thousand. [11] Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks,
He distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as
they wanted. [12] And when they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples,
"Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." [13] So they
gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley
loaves, left by those who had eaten. [14] When the people saw the sign which
He had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the
world!"
[15] Perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to
make Him king, Jesus withdrew again to the hills by Himself.
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Commentary:
1. This is the second lake formed by the river Jordan. It is sometimes described
in the Gospels as the "Lake of Gennesaret" (Luke 5:1), because that is the
name of the area on the north-eastern bank of the lake, and sometimes as the
"Sea of Galilee" (Matthew 4:18; 15:29; Mark 1:16; 7:31), after the region in which
it is located. St. John also calls it the "Sea of Tiberias" (cf. 21:1), after the city
of that name which Herod Antipas founded and named after the Emperor Tiberius.
In Jesus' time there were a number of towns on the shore of this lake--Tiberias,
Magdala, Capernaum, Bethsaida, etc.--and the shore was often the setting for
His preaching.
2. Although St. John refers to only seven miracles and does not mention others
which are reported in the Synoptics, in this verse and more expressly at the end
of the Gospel (20:30; 21:25) he says that the Lord worked many miracles; the
reason why the evangelist, under God's inspiration, chose these seven must
surely be because they best suited His purpose--to highlight certain facets of
the mystery of Christ. He now goes on to recount the miracle of the multiplica-
tion of the loaves and the fish, a miracle directly connected with the discourses
at Capernaum in which Jesus presents Himself as "the bread of life" (6:35, 48).
4. St. John's Gospel often mentions Jewish feasts when referring to events in
our Lord's public ministry--as in the case here (cf. "The Dates of the Life of our
Lord Jesus Christ", in the "The Navarre Bible: St. Mark", pp. 49ff, and "Introduc-
tion to the Gospel according to St. John", pp. 13ff above).
Shortly before this Passover Jesus works the miracle of the multiplication of
the loaves and the fish, which prefigures the Christian Easter and the mystery
of the Blessed Eucharist, as He Himself explains in the discourse, beginning
at verse 26 in which He promises Himself as nourishment for our souls.
5-9. Jesus is sensitive to people's material and spiritual needs. Here we see
Him take the initiative to satisfy the hunger of the crowd of people who have
been following Him.
Through these conversations and the miracle He is going to work, Jesus also
teaches His disciples to trust in Him whenever they meet up with difficulties in
their apostolic endeavors in the future: they should engage in them using what-
ever resources they have--even if they are plainly inadequate, as was the case
with the five loaves and two fish. He will supply what is lacking. In the Christian
life we must put what we have at the service of our Lord, even if we do not think
it amounts to very much. He can make meager resources productive.
"We must, then, have faith and not be dispirited. We must not be stopped by
any kind of human calculation. To overcome the obstacles we have to throw
ourselves into the task so that the very effort we make will open up new paths"
(St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 160).
10. The evangelist gives us an apparently unimportant piece of information:
"there was much grass in the place." This indicates that the miracle took place
in the height of the Palestinian spring, very near the Passover, as mentioned in
verse 4. There are very few big meadows in Palestine; even today there is one
on the eastern bank of the Lake of Gennesaret, called El-Batihah, where five
thousand people could fit seated: it may have been the site of this miracle.
11. The account of the miracle begins with almost the very same words as
those which the Synoptics and St. Paul use to describe the institution of the
Eucharist (cf. Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:25).
This indicates that the miracle, in addition to being an expression of Jesus'
mercy towards the needy, is a symbol of the Blessed Eucharist, about which
our Lord will speak a little later on (cf. John 6:26-59).
12-13. The profusion of detail shows how accurate this narrative is--the names
of the Apostles who address our Lord (verses 5,8), the fact that they were barley
loaves (verse 9), the boy who provided the wherewithal (verse 9) and, finally,
Jesus telling them to gather up the leftovers.
This miracle shows Jesus' divine power over matter, and His largesse recalls the
abundance of messianic benefits which the prophets had foretold (cf. Jeremiah
31:14).
Christ's instruction to pick up the leftovers teaches us that material resources are
gifts of God and should not be wasted: they should be used in a spirit of poverty
(cf. note on Mark 6:42). In this connection Paul VI pointed out that "after liberally
feeding the crowds, the Lord told His disciples to gather up what was left over,
lest anything should be lost (cf. John 6:12). What an excellent lesson in thrift --
in the finest and fullest meaning of the term--for our age, given as it is to waste-
fulness! It carries with it the condemnation of a whole concept of society wherein
consumption tends to become an end in itself, with contempt for the needy, and
to the detriment, ultimately, of those very people who believed themselves to be
its beneficiaries, having become incapable of perceiving that man is called to a
higher destiny" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Address to Participants at the World Food
Conference", 9 November 1974).
14-15. The faith which the miracle causes in the hearts of these people is still
very imperfect: they recognize Him as the Messiah promised in the Old Testa-
ment (cf. Deuteronomy 18:15), but they are thinking in terms of an earthly,
political messianism; they want to make Him king because they think the
Messiah's function is to free them from Roman domination.
Our Lord, who later on (verses 26-27) will explain the true meaning of the multi-
plication of the loaves and the fish, simply goes away, to avoid the people pro-
claiming Him for what He is not. In His dialogue with Pilate (cf. John 18:36) He
will explain that His kingship "is not of this world": "The Gospels clearly show
that for Jesus anything that would alter His mission as the Servant of Yahweh
was a temptation (cf. Matthew 4:8: Luke 4:5). He does not accept the position
of those who mixed the things of God with merely political attitudes (cf. Matthew
22:21; Mark 12:17; John 18:36). [...] The perspective of His mission is much
deeper. It consists in complete salvation through transforming, peacemaking,
pardoning, and reconciling love. There is no doubt, moreover, that all this makes
many demands on the Christian who wishes truly to serve his least brethren, the
poor, the needy, the outcast; in a word, all those who in their lives reflect the
sorrowing face of the Lord (cf. "Lumen Gentium", 8)" ([Pope] John Paul II,
"Opening Address to the Third General Conference of Latin American Bishops",
28 January 1979).
Christianity, therefore, must not be confused with any social or political ideology,
however excellent. "I do not approve of committed Christians in the world forming
a political-religious movement. That would be madness, even if it were motivated
by a desire to spread the spirit of Christ in all the activities of men. What we have
to do is put God in the heart of every single person, no matter who he is. Let us
try to speak then in such a way that every Christian is able to bear witness to the
faith he professes by example and word in his own circumstances, which are de-
termined alike by his place in the Church and in civil life, as well as by ongoing
events.
"By the very fact of being a man, a Christian has a full right to live in the world. If
he lets Christ live and reign in his heart, he will feel--quite noticeably--the saving
effectiveness of our Lord in everything he does" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing
By", 183).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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