by Fr. Tommy Lane
In 1964 Fr Rich Thomas was appointed to El Paso in Texas. Around 1969/1970 he was profoundly touched by God and started charismatic prayer meetings in the parish. Sr Maria Virginia, DC, was also an inspired leader. During one prayer meeting in 1972 they read the passage in Luke 14:12-14 which says, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relations or rich neighbors, in case they invite you back and so repay you. Now when you have a party, invite the poor… for they have no means to repay you and so you will be repaid when the upright rise again.” The prayer meeting decided that on Christmas day that year, 1972, they would give a Christmas lunch to the poor who lived and worked in the dump in Juarez, which is just across the border in Mexico. The poor people in the dump used to separate the rubbish into various types, cans, bottles, cardboard etc and then sell it to a co-op which would in turn sell it on. They lived in the dump and worked 7 days a week for $5. The prayer group had prepared food for 125 people on Christmas Day. When they got to the dump Fr Rich and the group discovered that they had two labor unions or trade unions as we say here in Ireland. One union could not go into the other’s area. Eventually Fr Rich got them to come to one area for the food. Three hundred and fifty people turned up so Fr Rich explained that there was not enough food for everyone but they would share what they had. All 350 had enough food, the dump people took some food home and then came back to take more home, they returned and took more home again. There was still lots of food left over, so much that Fr Rich and the prayer group took the leftover food to three orphanages. The miracle of the loaves and fish that we heard in our Gospel was repeated in the dump in Juarez, Mexico in 1972. The words of our first reading today mean so much in this context also,
Buy corn without money, and eat,
“Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty;
though you have no money, come!
and, at no cost, wine and milk.”
It is not the only time a miracle happened in the dump in Juarez, that miracle of multiplication of food was repeated there many times, e.g. on another occasion when they didn’t have enough cartons of milk for everyone when they came to the end of handing out cartons, everyone had a carton of milk. After the miracle on Christmas Day 1972a beautiful Christian community grew up in the dump and many wonderful events have taken place since then.
The Lord wants to give us his blessings too. In our Gospel today the Lord gave his blessings to the people. But the people had made a sacrifice first. They had left their towns and gone on foot after him. In El Paso Fr Rich Thomas and Sr Maria Virginia had given themselves totally to the Lord and were the most liberated of people and were blessed to witness many miracles in Juarez. When we give ourselves to the Lord, the Lord enriches us with many blessings. Let us listen again to the beautiful words of our first reading,
“Oh, come to the water all you
who are thirsty;
though you have no money, come!
Buy corn without money, and eat,
and, at no cost, wine and milk.
Why spend money on what fails to satisfy?
Listen, listen to me and you will have good things to eat
and rich food to enjoy.”
There are so many ways in which we can spend on what fails to satisfy. Think of the amount of time wasted watching TV. Instead of spending on what fails to satisfy, as the people in today’s Gospel did, leave your town and go on foot to Jesus and he will feed you. And as happened in Galilee and in Juarez, there will be more blessings than you need. I am sure each one of us here can identify with that. We have all gone to the Lord and he has fed us and we were surprised that he gave us more than we needed. Think of the way people waste money on all sorts of rubbish. Use your money for the spread of the kingdom of God; St Francis told us when we give we receive. Think of billions of hours that people all over the world spend reading every year, and much of it concerning matters that will not help us get to heaven. Compare that with what Jesus said to the devil in the desert, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
When we give ourselves to Jesus he gives himself to us. Those who complain that the Mass is boring, do they come wishing to give themselves to Jesus? If you want the Mass not to be boring, give yourself to Jesus, and then you will receive Jesus. Then the Mass will not be boring. Jesus is the bread of life and wants to feed us. Let us leave the town and go on foot to Jesus and he will perform a miracle in our lives as he did in the lives of Fr Rich Thomas and Sr Maria Virginia.
“Oh, come to the water all you
who are thirsty;
though you have no money, come!
Buy corn without money, and eat,
and, at no cost, wine and milk.
Why spend money on what fails to satisfy?
Listen, listen to me and you will have good things to eat
and rich food to enjoy.”
This homily was delivered when I was engaged in parish ministry in Ireland before joining the faculty of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland.
More homilies for the Eighteenth Sunday Year A
Related Homilies: Jesus expands our vision; our small vision vs. Jesus’ limitless vision
The Eucharist and the Priesthood were born during the Last Supper
Faith in the Real Presence of Jesus and Eucharistic Miracles
When we eat this bread and drink this cup...
Four Presences of Jesus when we celebrate the Eucharist
Alexandrina lived only on Jesus in the Eucharist for thirteen years
On Pope John Paul II’s Letter on the Eucharist, Ecclesia de Eucharistia
The Eucharist: Jesus living in us and we in Jesus - Little Nellie of Holy God
my meditation on The Last Supper in Let’s Talk to Jesus
The Eucharist and St John Bosco
Reflection on
Fifth Luminous Mystery of the Rosary by Sr Emmanuel
stories about the Eucharist