By Roxane B. Salonen

“Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and country round about, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a lonely place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” ~ Luke 9:12-13

In today’s Gospel, the groanings of humanity are found in the words of Jesus’ twelve disciples, who, weary from a long day filled with bustling crowds, suggest to Jesus that he send the people away for provisions, “for we are here in a lonely place.”

God wants to fill our emptiness, hunger with himself

As an introvert, I’m right with them. It’s time for quiet. But Jesus had other plans. He had just filled the people with hope, feeding them with his vision of the kingdom of God. Their souls were stirred and filled, but now, their human hunger pains cried out. Jesus did not want them to go seeking either elsewhere. “I am all you need,” he seemed to be saying.

And so he pulled off a miracle, blessing the small amount of bread available, and offering it to them. “And all ate and were satisfied.”

In real life, we often need our natural hunger addressed before we can focus on our spiritual hunger. But Jesus seemed to be emphasizing that the two are inextricably linked: body and soul.

‘And all ate and were satisfied’ is the gift Jesus gives

As I’ve pondered the gift of the Eucharist through the years, I’ve come to see just how much sense it makes. Jesus knew that his departure, which would come soon after this scene, would leave the people grasping for him, both in soul and body. And he intended to deliver both, leaving something tangible for us to not only observe but to eat—a basic, human survival need. In this, he tends to our human hunger while at the same time, offering a spiritual food that will sustain us into eternity.

Jesus wants to become part of us so that we can become part of him. It’s really beyond human comprehension, yet we can begin to grasp the mystery of the Eucharist, and the sublime gift of it, each time we receive him. We might not always be cognizant of the full truth, but in the grace that flows from our reception of our Lord, a lightness to life that would not otherwise be possible can transcend and transform us, filling us in a way no earthly food can.

‘For we are here in a lonely place,’ yes, but not alone

As for his disciples’ sentiments of being in a lonely place, despite the crowds all around, I’m reminded of the book Scott Hahn co-authored with Brandon McGinley, Catholics in Exile, in which the writers drive home the point that we are not meant to feel at home here. At the same time, we are to be the presence of God in the midst of this world, and the Eucharist sustains us while in this present exile.

“The world can often feel like a cold, dark place,” Fr. Joel Sember writes in his Oriens 2024 book, but the lack of light isn’t in God, it’s in “all of us whose hearts have grown cold and dark.”

Our yearning for our true home, our grasping for light and love, can be satisfied by tasting Jesus in the Eucharist, and through that, tasting—and pointing others toward—heaven.

Prayer

Dear Lord, there are so many ways I try to fill myself other than with you, including by wasting minutes scrolling the Internet, leaving me more emptied out than ever. Help me to remember where true sustenance is found, so that I might have more of you to offer those all around me hunger and thirst for you but have yet to really meet or taste you.

Call to Action

The summer months can be some of the best for catching up on reading, while traveling or relaxing at some place of respite. Commit to reading something spiritual during these moments to fill your soul. And each time you consume the Eucharist this summer, commit to sharing what feeds you with someone in need, whether in body or soul.

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