The multiplication of loaves is the most prominent miracle of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It is the only miracle–other than his Resurrection–mentioned in all four gospels.
This even ranks the raising of Lazarus.
But despite this, we’re subjected to countless homilies in which the priest seems bent on explaining away this grand miracle, in which Jesus fed 5,000 men (plus women and children) with just five loaves and two fish. Instead, we’re told, it was just a “miracle of sharing” whereby Jesus encouraged people to share the food they had in secret selfish stashes.
I’ve written about it before, including comments from Pope Benedict and John Paul II, but here’s the final, crushing, humiliating death-blow to the idea . . .
Another crushing blow is that the people were out there for 3 days. The “miracle-of-sharing” types have to believe that these people had all these fish sandwiches in their pockets for three days, in warm weather, and didn’t notice the smell of 3-day-old fish! But then, the “miracle-of-sharing” always sounded like a fish story to me.
So this is how you show respect to fellow Christians who fail to embrace your learned views — you label their beliefs nonsense and you judge them to be crushed and humiliated. Jimmy, do you think the risen Christ is just waiting to Hi-Five you on this self-declared, ego-centered victory lap? Do you suppose He sees the love you profess for Him as superior to the love from those Christians you deem crushed? I withdraw the supportive comment I offered when you introduced this topic.
Dear Mark30339,
You wrote:
<i>So this is how you show respect to fellow Christians who fail to embrace your learned views — you label their beliefs nonsense and you judge them to be crushed and humiliated…Do you suppose He sees the love you profess for Him as superior to the love from those Christians you deem crushed?”
Jesus said [John 4:23]:
<blockquote>But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.</blockquote>
Those who bring people to the truth commit a great act of charity and it is a respect for them to do so. In fact, their belief on this topic is nonsense and correcting them is an act of instructing the ignorant, which is one of the seven works of spiritual mercy (I assume you are Catholic and know what these are).
As for love, did not St. Paul say that, “Love delights in the truth…”? Now, if one speaks the truth, again, it isomething, ultimately, to be delighted in. By the way, Jimmy did not say that the Christians were crushed, only the argument. There is nothing wrong with crushing an argument.
The Chicken
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