HUNGER AND SATISFACTION

Meditation for Saturday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 3:9-24; Mk 8:1-10)

The fall of man came with severe consequences. Man lost friendship with God; the communication between God and man was no more mutual. Adam and Eve became defensive before God, and more divisive among each other. The Lord God cursed the serpent, and announced the defeat of the serpent by the seed of the Woman. Adam and Eve must face the implications of their choice, which includes, difficulty in childbearing, tough labour to raise food, etc. “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground...” Finally, in order to prevent man from eating of the tree of life in a state of sin, God drove them out of the garden, to till the ground from which he was taken...

Man ate from the wrong tree and his hunger increased, he lost friendship with God and was driven from the garden where he had free and excess food. Hunger would reign over the human city as he labours for food. Interestingly, Jesus steps in to arrest the terror of hunger among those gathered around Him. He felt their pain and weakness and set out to feed them. With seven loaves and few small fish, he fed the crowd. They all ate to their satisfaction and had seven baskets leftover. Now the bread that ought to be gotten with hard labour is given freely in Christ Jesus, and to each person’s satisfaction. Therefore, Jesus, who is the offspring of the Woman, Mary, cancels the plan of dissatisfaction Satan laid for the children of God.

Jesus gives us the living water; He is the Bread of life. He makes Himself available for our satisfaction. Then our love for Him should come in the form of a HUNGER to mingle our hearts with Him. Jesus gives us the satisfaction that goes ahead of our labours and search for food. Thus, in Jesus human labour is no more a PUNISHMENT to raise food, but an exercise of our joyful and creative contribution to the beauty, orderliness and growth of the human society, to the glory of God. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Saturday February 13^th, 2021.
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