In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies about the coming of God’s kingdom, which he compares to a banquet. He uses this image to express the abundance of the feast and the joy of God’s kingdom. This reading is juxtaposed with the gospel which announces that the kingdom of God has arrived with the coming of Christ who cures the sick and feeds the hungry thousands in Israel. Jesus performs these miracles to show to the Jewish people that he is the Messiah whom they have been waiting for. In another passage Isaiah also proclaims the coming of a prophet who will make the blind see, the lame walk and the deaf hear. The Jews were also waiting for the prophet par excellence who will repeat the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves that the prophet Elisha did. Thus, Jesus fulfills both prophecies and also another of Isaiah’s which speaks of a salvation that will take place “on this holy mountain.” To what mountain was Isaiah referring? He was alluding to Mount Zion, which today is the Church. Christ continues to fulfill this prophecy today for he continues to come to us through the Church. When Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, he was prefiguring the Eucharist, in which he himself becomes the True Bread that gives life to those who partake of it. He is also the Bread from Heaven which has become flesh for us through his word. Christ comes to all who today recognizes that he or she is the one who is sick because of sin and who is hungry for this Bread from Heaven.
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All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 1
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