When Feeling Sorry Is Not Enough

Homily: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Matthew 14:13-21

2 August 2020

Go viral! That’s the best way to get the public’s attention these days. When I was younger, people had to make the rounds of TV and radio stations, broadsheets and tabloids to attract attention for personal or societal concerns. Nowadays, if you want to fight for a cause or get help for somebody’s pitiful plight, you must get the issue to explode on social media. It has become a most effective tool in raising awareness, engaging large numbers of people, and getting appropriate action fast.

Back in June, widespread anger was generated online by a post on the death of single mother, Michelle Silvertino, who unknowingly died of Covid on a footbridge after days of being stranded in Manila waiting for the bus to take her back to her home province. Sadly, it was only after her death went viral on Facebook that we even took notice of her case and demanded that government see to the needs of hundreds of others similarly situated. It would be naive of us to ignore the fact that many viral posts have also destroyed the reputations of innocent people due to the propagation of lies and fake news but we can not discount the fact that it is instrumental in getting help for people who truly need it. 

Today’s gospel passage from Matthew, is popularly known as “The Feeding of the Five Thousand” wherein Jesus miraculously multiplies loaves of bread and some fish to feed the multitude. We are told that the disciples were not oblivious to the fact that the people needed to eat so they suggest to Jesus that He “dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy some food for themselves.” (Matthew 14:15) However, Jesus knows that the situation presents a teaching opportunity. By His actions, Jesus emphasizes to His disciples that when it comes to responding to other people’s needs, there is no time to waste. We see here a compassionate God in the person of Jesus whose “heart was moved with pity” for the vast crowd. Jesus wanted His followers to learn that it was imperative that they are to take care of one another as He cares for  them. 

Let us dwell momentarily on the word “compassion.” Almost all the other translations of Matthew 14:14 use the word “compassion” instead of “pity” to describe how Jesus must have felt upon seeing the crowds. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (NIV) The word compassion signifies more than just a fleeting emotion. It is defined as a “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” (Merriam-Webster) Showing compassion is exhibiting an inner capacity to suffer with those in distress and to act on their behalf. Jesus seems to challenge the disciples to show compassion when He tells them: “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” (Matthew 14:16) It is not enough to simply feel sorry for another’s plight. As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters in distress just as Christ upon seeing the people’s need worked a miracle to fill it. 

In the opening statement of the Gospel passage, we are told that Jesus withdrew to a deserted place to most likely grieve the death of his cousin, John the Baptist. Take note, that in this story, Jesus, Himself is suffering because of the loss of a loved one.  This pandemic has wrought unspeakable misery on the whole world. None among us have been immune to the suffering.  We are all affected, albeit some to a greater degree than others. Just yesterday we had nearly 5,000 new infections and we are on the brink of reaching 100,000 confirmed COVID cases! Our collective woes seem to worsen as the number of cases continue to rise in the country. People cry out in the depths of despair pleading for God’s mercy; wondering if He cares enough about us to listen to our prayers. It is truly tempting to ask “Where is God in all this?”  

We find our consolation in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans in the Second Reading: “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35) The Bible teaches us that God did not abandon even the unfaithful Israelites of old. He spares no expense. He even sends His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ to save mankind from its pitiful state.  God still continues to come to our aid today through the efforts of various people. As the country went into lockdown, all sorts of problems surfaced, mainly the slow distribition of food and financial assistance from the government, the lack of adequate public transportation for frontliners, the dearth of PPEs in hospitals, etc… All these problems were constantly in the news and on social media… Through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Viber, etc. people at home who could not sit idly by as fellow Filipinos were suffering, organized their own projects, pooling resources with their friends, relatives, and like minded-strangers to provide food, clean drinking water, medical supplies and PPEs, to wards, hospitals and poor communities! We hear of TNVS partners and ordinary citizens offering free rides to medical frontliners. So many people moved with compassion, each contributing according to their capacity to ease the suffering of God’s people. These individuals have followed in the footsteps of Jesus, who despite his own mourning did not turn away the sick and the hungry when they needed Him. It is actions like this that assures us that God, our Father, listens to our prayers and is concerned for our welfare and our needs.

In closing, I pray that all Christians, will have eyes that are keen to the suffering of others, ears that hear the lamentations of the distressed, and hearts consistently moved with compassion for the less fortunate among us. May we respond swiftly with charity and generosity, and become a testament that truly nothing and no one can ever separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ, our Lord.