Saint Michael the Archangel

by Fr. Deacon Daniel G. Dozier

Glory to Jesus Christ!

In today’s Gospel, we hear about the miraculous feeding of five thousand men plus many women and children, by Jesus in the desert. Jesus, after hearing about the death and burial of John the Forerunner, goes to a deserted place by boat, but is followed by the crowds, eventually numbering over five thousand. There He has compassion upon them, and begins to heal them of their diseases and ailments. Towards the end of the day, we hear the apostles asking Jesus to send the crows away to the villages to find something to eat. But Jesus tells them: “You give them something to eat.” “But we have only five loaves and two fish,” they reply. Jesus tells them to bring the food to Him, and then He commands the multitudes to sit upon the grass. He looks up to heaven, blesses the bread and the fish and then breaks the bread to be distributed, which the disciples give to the multitudes. When all had been fed, there were twelve baskets full left over.

This story is recounted in all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - so we know that it was a prominent part of the earliest teachings concerning the words and deeds of Our Lord. I want to highlight three possible interpretations of this event, one of which is fanciful and the other two which are more faithful to its proper spirit and mind of the Church and the Gospel writers, in this case St. Matthew.

Let’s begin with the modern interpretation.

1.    Modern Interpretation

One modern interpretation – unfortunately commonplace in these days - is that this event demonstrates nothing really supernatural in the sense of a divine intervention, but rather reflects only the “miracle” of charity within the community of believers in Jesus Christ. The “multiplication” of the loaves and fishes was really an exercise in “caring and sharing” among the multitudes. It would almost appear that when  word spread that Jesus was being nice to the lame and the sick thousands came to see and hear him sharing their bread and fish with those who had none, thus establishing something like the first socialist paradise in the wilderness of Israel. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” now designated as the ninth beatitude!

Needless to say, such an interpretation, while creative, fails insofar as it does not offer true spiritual nourishment in the authentic spirit of the Gospel message nor is it an accurate recounting of the story told by the Gospel writer.

Very clearly, St. Matthew sees this event as a miraculous sign of Jesus’ divinity and the inadequacy of human efforts (signified by the five loaves and two fish) to accomplish the miraculous without prayer and God’s grace. Only God’s grace can supply what the Church needs to feed the multitudes. Only grace can transform and transfigure what we in our human weakness and limitation offer back to God – our own meager loaves and fish which, through grace, become the means to give spiritual nourishment to ourselves and others.

Jesus’ miraculous action was an historical event and an actual miracle! But its meaning helps us to penetrate to deeper realities beyond simply “caring and sharing” (as important as caring and sharing may be) and Marxist platitudes.

And so we come to two other possible interpretations. The first is typological, in the sense of understanding Jesus’ actions in light of the Old Testament. The second is Sacramental.


2.    Typological Interpretation

First, St. Matthew is writing to a Jewish Christian audience. There is some evidence, in fact, that Matthew’s Gospel was written in Aramaic, not Greek. He is a first century Jew writing to a first century group of Jewish Christians who know the Torah of Moses and interpret the Christ-event almost exclusively through the lens of the Old Testament.

Jesus feeding the multitudes in the wilderness is clearly a reference to the Exodus event, where Israel, led by Moses and Aaron the High Priest…and then Joshua (also the name of Jesus) are delivered from bondage to Egypt, pass through the waters of the Red Sea and enter into the wilderness where they receive God’s Law on Mt. Sinai and are fed with the “manna from heaven.” Every faithful Israelite would know this story, recounted every year at Passover.

Here Jesus – Yeshua/Joshua – is a New Moses and a Greater, more compassionate and faithful High Priest than Aaron. He is with his people in the wilderness, He heals their ailments and feeds them miraculously by multiplying the bread and the fish. St. John the Forerunner, as the last and greatest of the Old Testament Prophets, is like the Old Law, now dead and buried. It is not for nothing that Herod fears that Jesus is in fact John resurrected! This fear, while baseless on one level, is not entirely without merit. John’s death in a sense foreshadows the end of the Law (he was a son of the priest) and the prophets (he was the last of the prophets) that Jesus will bring about by His own death and resurrection…His own Passover and Exodus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the message of John and the whole Old Testament.

This is why St. Hillary of Poitiers says that the five loaves represent the Five Books of the Law of Moses and the two fish represent the prophets and John the Forerunner. To know the message of the Gospel, one needs to lift his eyes to heaven, break them open and, receiving them through Christ, consume them meditatively in the light of Jesus Christ. He alone is the key to unlocking the mysteries of the Old Testament Law and the Prophets since He is the ultimate fulfillment of Israel’s hope.

3.    Sacramental Interpretation

The third interpretation is sacramental. Jesus in the wilderness with the multitudes, served by the twelve, represents the Church (ecclesia) gathered around the Word of God that feeds the flock through the sacraments. The five loaves and the two fish before the blessing represents the creatures that we offer to Christ through the sacramental mysteries, such as bread, wine, oil, water. By Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, these gifts are transformed through the prayer of the Church and her ministers (successors of the 12) into life giving and spiritually nourishing, healing and empowering signs of the New Covenant. The two fish represent Baptism of water and the Holy Spirit (by which we are made disciples of Christ) and Confession (also called a “Baptism of tears”, washing away our sins through tears of repentance). The five loaves are:

 - The Eucharist: the “Manna from Heaven, Bread of Life and Body and Blood of Christ”

 - Chrismation: which makes us priests of the New Covenant able to participate in Eucharistic sacrifice, now vested with the grace of the Holy Spirit

 -Matrimony: whereby we break the bread of the communion of marriage, a grace which flows from the Holy Table at the service of self-offering for Christ and others

 - Holy Orders: which consecrates some of the baptized to service of the community of the baptized in Word, Charity and Sacrament as Bishops, Priests and Deacons

 - Anointing of the Sick: which extends the healing nourishment of grace from the cross to both body and soul and prepares one to enter the communion of heaven

The twelve baskets left over represent the gifts of grace reserved for the Gentiles who will be joined to a New Israel, which will be made up of both Jew and Gentile. These twelve baskets are for the Apostles to carry to the very ends of the earth, baptizing and making disciples of all nations.

So we too must be faithful witnesses to the mystery of the feeding of the multitudes. We must understand it with the mind of the Church. And we must follow the wisdom it teaches, bringing what we have to Christ, so that He may bless our gifts, break them through suffering, sacrifice and humility, and distribute them to our needy brethren and the world suffering without hope. Only in this way can we be sure that we pass on faithfully the gifts of grace which we are given so that we might witness to the divinity of the Son of God and become true disciples and apostles of Jesus Christ.   

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Today is both the Feast of Saint Basil theGreat and the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Godand Savior Jesus Christ.

I’m sure that for many of you, the first time you heard of this feast you thought: “How strange! Why celebrate this feast at all, much less at the beginning of the new calendar year?”

There are two reasons why the Church celebrates this special feast:

1.    The Circumcision of Jesus represents His entry as an Israelite into the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant and through it, the beginning of our becoming children of Abraham.

Throughout history, God made six covenants – or sacred family bonds – with mankind. Each covenant had its own particular sign, which called to mind both God’s promises and man’s obligations to be faithful so that he might receive the blessings promised by God.

With Adam, the covenant sign of his marriage to Eve was the sabbath day – the Day of Holy Rest from labor, a day to sanctify and serve in the Temple of the Cosmos/Creation, to worship the one true God and to delight in the fruits of the offering to God as His priests. It is an image of the life in the heavenly paradise of communion with God.

With Noah, the covenant sign of his household was the Rainbow, the sign that God would no longer “baptize” the whole earth to destroy sin in a raging flood of water. It was an prophetic image of the cleansing Baptism that we would receive and through which we enter the ark of the Church.

With Abraham, the covenant sign of his tribe was circumcision, the removal of the foreskin of the male flesh. This sign was commanded by God of every male descendant of Abraham to be performed on the 8th day of his birth. God literally “cut” His covenant promise into the flesh of Abraham and his descendants. Why? Because it sanctified the instrument of fatherhood from which would come the seed of both a new people and the Messiah who would save all of the nations from the power of sin and death.

With Moses, the covenant sign of the nation of Israel was the celebration of Passover, which commemorated the deliverance of Israel’s firstborn sons, who were to be the priests of each household, from the angel of death who “passed over” the households that had the Lamb’s blood over their doorposts and celebrated a ceremonial meal with lamb and unleavened bread. It was a sign of God’s greater deliverance from bondage and slavery to Egypt by passing through the Red Sea on their way to the Promised Land.

Israel fell through the worship of the Golden Calf – Baal Worship – while Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the Covenant Law. And when only the Tribe of Levi stood faithful with Moses and the Lord, they went through the camps and struck down the firstborn sons – the priests of each household and tribe - of all of the tribes of Israel so that they alone would now be priests for the Lord. Moses said that through this act, they consecrated themselves as priests.

Later, with the Covenant with David, the covenant sign of his kingdom was his throne, which God promised to establish forever. David’s son would reign in his place in God’s priestly kingdom and construct for the Lord a great Temple where all the nations would gather in worship and learn the laws and ways of God.

The new and final covenant was with Jesus, our High Priest and King. The covenant sign of the Catholic Church he established is the Holy Eucharist, which we celebrate today. By being circumcised, which we celebrate today, He entered the great stream of covenants throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled each one.

In fulfilling the Covenant with Adam, He established the New Sabbath which is the Lord’s Day, the Day of Resurrection and Pentecost, the 8th Day of God’s eternal kingdom…the day of eternal rest in communion with God.

In fulfilling the Covenant with Noah, He floods the earth with His divine grace, cleansing it from sin and death by Holy Baptism, and establishing the Church as the ark of salvation and the paradise of the New Creation.

In fulfilling the Covenant with Abraham, through His circumcision which involved the shedding of His own blood as an infant which was ultimately fulfilled on the Cross, the covenant was made and sealed in His very flesh as the God-Man. He made Holy Baptism the sign that would create new generations of children of Abraham and to God, born not of the will of the flesh, but of the very Spirit of God. Baptism is our entry into the New Covenant, and through it, both men and women, are made into the New People of God.

In fulfilling the Covenant with Moses, He gives us the New Torah, which we heard today in the Beatitudes of Luke’s Gospel. Jesus shows us how we are to live: as poor in spirit, as hungry for righteousness, as rejoicing in persecution for Christ’s sake like the prophets of old. He is our High Priest and Passover Lamb of God, offering His own life on the Cross. By His priestly offering, we have been made priests in Him through Baptism, Chrismation and the offering of the Holy Eucharist. The ministerial priesthood is at the service of this much larger priesthood of the faithful, which is greater even than the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods of the Old Testament because of the infinite value of the Sacrifice and the permanency of the Temple.

Finally, Jesus as the Son of King David establishes His Covenant Kingdom of the Catholic Church for all the nations. He rules as Lord and Shepherd and teaches the nations the wisdom of God. He constructs a new Temple, not made with stones hardened by sin, but with living stones softened by the Spirit in which the offering of bread and wine becomes our communion in His very Body and Blood, the very bonds of family.

By being circumcised as a child of Abraham and Israel, Jesus makes it possible for all of us to become the children of Abraham in a new, spiritual Israel.

2. Circumcision was an image of removal of sin from our lives and our priestly consecration to God.

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses in relating the commandments of God, tells the Israelites to circumcise their hearts, removing from it all that prevents them from fulfilling their calling to be a priestly people, to “Be holy as (God is) holy.”

Sin is not merely the breaking of the commandments which God has given for our very life. Nor is it the breaking of arbitrary rules God or the Church set up. Rather, sin is the deliberate action that diminishes the divine glory which we are called to reflect as the images and likeness of the God who is Trinitarian love. Sin is an obstacle to and abuse of the infinite love which is offered, and which we are called to receive and reflect.

When a sculptor makes a statue, he or she cuts away all that is not the image in his or her mind – the perfect image he or she is trying to create.

By cutting away at whatever sin we have in our lives, we are removing from our hearts that which prevents us from knowing what it means to be free as the children of God. Ultimate freedom is the freedom to love as God loves.

Saints or “holy ones” are not just those who say “no” to sin. Saints are those who also say “yes” to God, as Mary said “yes” and was given the great blessing of carrying within the Temple of her womb the Son of God. To be a saint is to be God’s “yes” men and women. It is a radical “yes” that goes to the root of our being. It is to be open to all of the good things that the heavenly Father has for us and it overwhelms any desire for evil deeds which douse the flame of love.

But we must begin by removing the sin from our lives…by circumcising our hearts and minds, cutting away all that is not of God. Just as in the prayers before Baptism, we first turn to the darkness of the West to reject the pomps and works of Satan before turning to the light of the East, where we profess faith in the Holy Trinity and are then washed, clothed and chrismated as priests for the New Temple and the New Sacrifice, we should begin this year with certain two-fold resolutions. These resolutions should be to first remove the obstacles (sin) in our lives that keep us from being fully who we are called to be as God’s sons and daughters – AND resolutions to be like Mary, the first and perfect disciple of her Son…to say “yes” (fiat) to God and ponder the mysteries of Christ’s presence in the Temple of our hearts. If we have lost him through sin, we can find Him again in this Temple but only if we truly persevere in seeking Him.

Today is the Forefeast of the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Today the preparation for the Advent of the Messiah, the Savior and Anointed One of God is coming to a close. Emmanuel, whose name means “God is with us” - the one foretold by all of the prophets since Moses and Isaiah - is nearly here. The King of Glory, the Eternal Word of the Father and the One through Whom the world was made, comes now in all humility as a newborn infant. The Royal Lion of the Tribe of Judah has become a little lamb and will be visited by shepherds and kings in a cave. And what is this cave which will bear the King?

The cave is the womb of the earth. The earth that since the time of Adam has groaned in travail, in barrenness, in the darkness of sin, corruption and death, waiting for the glory of the New Adam to fill it. It is the image of the tomb out of which will come the light of the Resurrected One. Through Mary’s yes, her fiat, the cave has become a fruitful place – a place of light, and glory and paradise. Here the Tree of Life has been planted, and we must partake of its fruit through contemplation and love. Like Elijah, we must come and stand at the entrance of the cave and discern the whisper of God’s Word carried on the breath of the Spirit who speaks consolation to God’s people, Israel and to all the nations of the earth.

This cave is a place for the animals, for the nations of the earth who long for the Messiah to save them from the darkness of disbelief and disordered passions. The idols of the nations will lie in submission before the King of Glory who, as the Lamb of God, comes as one of us to lead them to the freedom of the sons and daughters of God.

This cave is the anticipation of Israel for the Promised One. The age of Creation, darkened by sin and death, has received the Light of the First Day. The Tree of Life has blossomed, and the entrance to Paradise has been reopened by One greater than the angels. The age of the Law, written on hearts of stone, has been fulfilled. Men’s hearts have been softened by the Spirit to receive the Eternal Word, the Torah of the Spirit. The King is enthroned in a manger, the Manna from Heaven is born in the City of Bread, the Lamb of God dwells in a stable and the High Priest has tabernacled among us - has pitched His tent in our midst. God’s shekinah glory cloud has become a man and the world, to quote St. Gregory Nanzianzen, has been made a burning bush! This is the dawn of the age of Grace. The age of the New Israel, where all the nations will gather in the Lord’s Name, to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the age of the provisional signs of the New Covenant, the sacramental mysteries, which share with us the light and life of Christ as God’s sons and daughters.

But one day, these signs will come to an end. The age of Grace will be fulfilled in the age of Glory. The First Advent will be fulfilled by the Second. The Lamb of God will come as a Lion, a Shepherd-King enthroned, who will call all of the nations to Himself, the living and the dead, gathered by the angels, to face the Final Judgment. The sheep of His flock, those who have kept His Law in their hearts, who have been mother to Him by bearing His presence to the poor and the needy, the widows and the orphans and giving birth to Him through a virtuous life, will be on His right, while the goats, who have neglected the command to love God and neighbor will be on His left. This great and terrible day of the Lord will be the dawn of the New Age, begun in this little cave of Bethlehem. The ages of Creation, Law and Grace will be fulfilled in the age of Glory.

And so we bear the message of Bethlehem in the cave of our hearts. It is a message of mercy, of forgiveness, the balm of healing, as well as the preparation for crucifixion and resurrection. This is the feast of the condescension of God, the Son of God, who became the Son of Man so that the sons of men might become the sons of God. So let us, who have received so much from the treasure house of His Grace and Mercy, bring to our King, not treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but rather the treasures and fragrance of good and holy works, of faith, hope and love as we wait for His Advent in Glory! Amen!