They All Ate

For Catholics, yesterday was the Feast of Corpus Christi, when we celebrate our belief in the real, actual presence of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine of Communion.

The Gospel at Mass recalls another miraculous feeding. From Luke Chapter 9:

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured.

As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said,"Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."

He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."

They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."

Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."

They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

They all ate and were satisfied.

And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.