The Early Christians, in a document called The Didache saw in this episode Eucharistic significance: "Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom." (Ch. 9) Jesus took the bread, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke it before giving it to the disciples who in turn distributed it to the crowd. Twelve baskets of fragments were collected of leftovers. The story goes from being an act of pity, whereby Jesus meets the physical needs of his flock, to enacting in their presence the dynamic of the Mass. The Mass draws in diverse people each week who receive teaching and healing. This is not enough. We are also fed by the Eucharistic food, which is the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and thus united as one Church with the one mission we are sent out into the world to take the Good News to it. The surplus consecrated hosts are gathering and housed in the tabernacle as an enduring presence of Christ in the sacrament. In this way, Christ who is the Bridegroom to the Church, which is his Bride, has compassion on us for frequently we feel, as it is said in the gospel of Mark for the same story: "... because they were like sheep without a shepherd." (Mk 6: 34) Let us never cease to avail ourselves of the graces which are available to us in the Mass which are the same as were offered to the crowd in the wilderness all those centuries ago.
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