It is More Blessed to Give than to Receive

Gospel Reflection for July 28, 2024 - John 6:1-15

After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is that of Tiberias.

And a great multitude followed him, because they saw the miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

Jesus therefore went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

Now the pasch, the festival day of the Jews, was near at hand.

When Jesus therefore had lifted up his eyes, and seen that a very great multitude cometh to him, he said to Philip: Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

And this he said to try him; for he himself knew what he would do.

Philip answered him: Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little.

One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to him:

There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves, and two fishes; but what are these among so many?

Then Jesus said: Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. The men therefore sat down, in number about five thousand.

And Jesus took the loaves: and when he had given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down. In like manner also of the fishes, as much as they would.

And when they were filled, he said to his disciples: Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost.

They gathered up therefore, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above to them that had eaten.

Now those men, when they had seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said: This is of a truth the prophet, that is to come into the world.

Jesus therefore, when he knew that they would come to take him by force, and make him king, fled again into the mountain himself alone. (John 6:1-15 DRA)

In accordance with the popular trend of “Christmas in July,” for this last Sunday of the month I would like to connect the readings with what I consider to be one of the greatest stories ever written: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Like Scrooge, the Gospel for today teaches us two pivotal lessons, centered around two forms of charity: earthly and heavenly. Scrooge, whose miserly greed and stinginess are well-known, is also one of the most famous converts in literature. Through his three nighttime visitations with the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come, Scrooge learns the true and eternal importance of charity - similarly, the sixth chapter of St. John's Gospel, whose first half we will hear today, also demonstrates this twofold understanding of charity.

The primary lesson of Scrooge's experiences, as with Christ's miraculous feeding of the five thousand, would appear to be that of earthly charity. Scrooge begins with a complete unwillingness to give any of his vast wealth to others, whether to his clerk Bob Cratchit or to the two men who beg his donation for the poor at Christmas. Interestingly, Scrooge asserts the efficacy of government programs, such as “workhouses,” to excuse his tight-fistedness, saying that his tax dollars are already used for them to aid the poor. But Dickens knows that this is not true charity: Scrooge is called to give voluntarily and personally, out of his own treasure and disinterestedly.

Scrooge also uses the common argument of eugenicists, those who assert “overpopulation” as a cause of poverty, saying that the death of the poor would help to “decrease the surplus population.” After seeing Bob Cratchit's large but impoverished family, the ghost confronts him with his own words. By the end of the story, Scrooge comes to recognize that he has been given his wealth by God as a responsibility and an opportunity to give it for the good of others; only by giving can he be truly happy. This lesson, wholly inimical to worldly wisdom, requires a profound change of heart, one which is only brought about by the memento mori of seeing his own premature grave. Scrooge then spends the rest of his life giving to others, including the Cratchit family, and becomes beloved for his charity.

Christ and the apostles exemplify a similar charity in today's Gospel. Through the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, they are able to feed five thousand men, as well as women and children with them. These people are satisfied in body and thus enabled to continue following Christ. This is a good thing! The Catholic Church has imitated this earthly charity throughout history, giving more to the poor than any other organization and treating even the most derelict as images of Christ. Likewise, by his charity, founded on a recognition of the dignity of the human person, Scrooge is able to help prevent the malnourishment-caused death of Cratchit's youngest son, Tiny Tim, and doubtless many others like him.

In the eyes of this world, this kind of earthly charity may be denigrated by some, but most are able to appreciate it to come extent; this is why, during his “enlightened” restructuring of Europe by the sword, Napoleon shut down many contemplative monasteries dedicated solely to prayer and only allowed those committed to charity to continue. The secular appropriation of this corporal work of mercy is called “humanitarianism,” and many atheists will describe themselves as “secular humanists” in appreciation of it.

But the real question is: is this enough? Did not Our Lord Himself later in this chapter say, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you”? (Jn 6:27) In truth, the feeding of the five thousand is only half the story. For our animal nature, it would seem to be sufficient; but like Lazarus, those people fed by Christ and the apostles would still have died, and no amount of earthly food could save them. But the bread “which endureth unto life everlasting” is revealed in the second half of John 6, frequently called the Bread of Life discourse. This is spiritual, heavenly charity, the gift which only God can give, the food by which we share in His very divine life through the Body and Blood of Christ. By this angelic food, even if our body still dies under pain of original sin, we know that our body and soul will one day be resurrected and live forever with Christ, freed at last from every taint or threat of sin and united in joy with all the saints. This is why Christ performed His miracles of feeding, as of healing and bringing back to life: not so that we can live forever in this fallen and sinful world, but that by them we may be reassured of God's Providence and led both to imitate His charity and to partake of the food which is not of this world.

Did Scrooge learn this second kind of charity? This is difficult to answer. Dickens was himself a devout, if imperfect and somewhat anti-Catholic Christian, and there are many explicit references to Christ in A Christmas Carol. I think it can be said with confidence that Scrooge did not convert to mere “humanitarianism.” Through the influence of the ghosts and his nephew, Scrooge came to value not only benevolent giving - he also learned to give his very self to others, to love and allow himself to be loved. The Cratchits also offered him an example of a good Christian family, with Tiny Tim hoping that “the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.”

Perhaps a better question is: have we learned this lesson? So many regular church-goers, Catholic or otherwise, drive in with their expensive cars, wearing their finery (or their finest beach-ware), and seem to value their wealth as a sign of God's favor, according to the demonic heresy of the Prosperity Gospel. Like Scrooge's taxes to government programs, they may give some money to the collection baskets, but this will be the extent of their charity. How many people in the world, struggling just to live (not only in third world countries but in “developed” nations as well), could be helped if Catholics chose a slightly cheaper car, a smaller house or older model of cellphone and gave the excess to the poor? What scandal does it give to others to see Catholics driving Porches and BMWs and carrying Gucci purses to Mass while the poor continue to suffer in the next street?

But even more importantly: do we grasp spiritual charity? Based on the well-known survey, few Catholics today believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist, hence the calling of the Eucharistic Revival by the bishops. However, if we treat those around us with contempt or indifference, ignoring their infinite dignity as made in God's image and beloved by Him for all eternity, for whom Christ suffered and died, can we really believe in the Eucharist, the Sacramentum Caritatis? If we receive the Eucharist, believe in it as we should and adhere to all the teachings of the Church, only to continue living as though neither God nor other humans meant anything at all to us, can it be said that the charity of Christ lives in us? Truly, if this is us - and we must all examine our consciences daily to guard against such corruption - we are not true disciples of Christ. We should look to the example of Scrooge, whom many of us resemble even if outwardly we may seem more likable, and remember the words of Our Lord: “It is a more blessed thing to give, rather than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)