The Logic of Giving (Jn 6:1-15)*

The Logic of Giving

Reflection on John 6:1-15

Pope Francis

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we witness the profound sign of the multiplication of the loaves as recounted by John the Evangelist (6:1-15). Jesus, standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, is surrounded by a multitude attracted by the miracles He had performed, healing those afflicted with various ailments (v. 2). At this moment, Jesus reveals not only His role as healer but also as a teacher. He climbs a hill, assuming the traditional position of a teacher as He prepares to impart wisdom.

Understanding fully what is about to happen, Jesus puts His disciples to the test. Faced with thousands of hungry people, He asks how they might feed them all. Philip quickly calculates the impossibility of the situation in material terms: even with a collection of 200 denarii, there would not be enough to feed such a large crowd. Here, the disciples are thinking in terms of the logic of “buying,” of scarcity. But Jesus introduces a new logic—the logic of giving.

Andrew, another disciple, brings forward a boy who offers five loaves and two fish, though he admits they are insufficient for the multitude (cf. v. 9). But this small offering is precisely what Jesus was waiting for. He takes the loaves and fish, gives thanks to the Father, and distributes them to the crowd (v. 11). In this moment, Jesus prefigures the Last Supper, where He will offer Himself as the true Bread of Life. The bread of God is Jesus Himself. When we receive Him in Communion, we receive His life within us, and we become children of God, united as brothers and sisters.

To partake in the Eucharist is to enter into the logic of Jesus—the logic of giving and sharing. Regardless of how little we think we have, we all possess something to give. Receiving Communion is an invitation to draw from Christ the grace that enables us to share ourselves and our gifts with others.

The crowd was amazed by the miracle, but the real gift Jesus offers is much more profound: it is the fullness of life that satisfies not just physical hunger, but the hunger for meaning, for God. In the face of suffering, poverty, and loneliness in the world, we may feel helpless. But like the boy in the Gospel, we can offer whatever small talents, time, or resources we have—our own “five loaves and two fish.” Placed in the hands of Jesus, even the smallest of our efforts can multiply to bring love, peace, and joy to the world.

This reflection reminds us that joy is essential in our lives, and God can multiply even our smallest acts of kindness. Let us pray that no one may lack the Bread of Life or the basic necessities of a dignified existence, and that the logic of sharing and love may grow ever stronger.

Source: Pope Francis, Angelus, St. Peter's Square, 26 July 2015

Photo by: Quinnie Ann Balderas Fernandez

The Four Dominican Popes*

THE FOUR DOMINICAN POPES

Source: McBrien, Richard, Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St Peter to Benedict XVI, Harper Collins Publishers: NY, 2000.

BLESSED POPE INNOCENT V (ca.1224-1276)

Pope from January 21 to June 22, 1276

A renowned French theologian, Dominican Provincial of France, Archbishop of Lyons and Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, Pierre de Tarentaise adopted the name ‘Innocent’ when he reigned as the first Dominican Pope on 21 January 1276. Moreover, the current papal custom of wearing a white cassock may have begun with him when he decided to continue wearing his white Dominican habit as pope. Others suggest that the custom was not finally established until the pontificate of another Dominican, Pope Pius V (1566-1572).

In 1274, Innocent V participated in the Second Council of Lyon, and also preached at the funeral of his friend St. Bonaventure. He tried to unify the European powers in order to fulfill the plan of Gregory X, his predecessor, for a new crusade. In order to move away from his predecessor’s cultivation of the Germans, he engaged in the political arena as he favored Charles, King of Sicily to the detriment of Rudolf, King of Germany. Furthermore, he struggled in his relationship with the East because he almost apologized to the Byzantine emperor for Charles’ plan of recapturing Constantinople on the grounds that it had been forcibly taken away from the Latins, and he demanded that the Greek clergy should take personal oaths accepting the ‘filioque’ in the Creed and the primacy of the pope. But death intervened and he died on June 22, only five months after his election. He was buried in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1898 on account of his reputation for holiness. Feast day: June 22.

BLESSED POPE BENEDICT XI (1240-1304)

Pope from October 22, 1303 to July 7, 1304

Born Niccolo Boccasini of an ordinary working-class family, he was the cardinal-bishop of Ostia and a Dominican when unanimously elected pope on 22 October 1303. He actually served as the 9th Master of the Order from 1296-1298. In support of the powerful but tragic reign of Boniface VIII, he chose the baptismal name of his predecessor as his regnal name, Benedict.

Benedict XI has been described by historians as a scholarly, but weak man who felt at ease only with his fellow Dominicans. He created only three cardinals during his reign, all Dominicans. He revoked the decree restricting the rights of mendicants (Dominicans and Franciscans) to preach and to hear confessions. A man of peace, he immediately lifted Boniface VIII’s excommunication. However, his pontificate was marked by his weak acquiescence to the demand of the King of France, Philip the Fair, who subjugated Boniface VIII.

On 7 July 1304, the pope died of acute dysentery in Perugia. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried in the Church of San Domenico in Perugia, where there were later reports of miraculous cures at his tomb. He was beatified by Pope Clement XII in 1736. Feast day: July 7.

SAINT POPE PIUS V (1504-1572)

Pope from January 7, 1566 to May 1, 1572

Born Antonio Ghislieri of poor parents, he was a shepherd until he became a Dominican at age 14, taking ‘Michele’ as his religious name. After his priestly ordination (1528), he served as an inquisitor for Como and Bergamo, and was appointed to the Roman Inquisition (1551). He became the bishop of Nepi and Sutri (1556), a cardinal (1557), and the grand inquisitor of Rome (1558). Then, he was the elected pope on 7 January 1566.

Pius V enforced the decrees of the Council of Trent, publishing the ‘Roman Catechism’ (1566) and reforming the Roman Missal and Breviary (1570) for unanimity in the liturgical celebrations. He restricted the use of indulgences and dispensation. He enforced a strict conduct of lifestyle not only on himself, but to the citizens of Rome who accused him of imposing monasticism to everyone. He continued to follow a monastic regimen for himself including the practice of simple, solitary meals, which remained a papal custom until the mid-20th century. He continued to wear his white Dominican habit which became the standard garb for the next popes. He opposed nepotism, insisted that clerics must reside in their pastoral assignments, and maintained a careful watch over the religious orders. He visited the Roman Basilicas and sent apostolic visitors to the Papal States and Naples. He endeavored to stamp out heresies, and he expelled the Jews from the Papal States but allowing some to remain in Rome and Ancona for commercial reasons. He declared Thomas Aquinas a ‘Doctor of the Church’ (1570) sponsoring the publication of his works in 17 volumes.

He engaged in the political sphere when he excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England exposing the English Catholics to persecution; gave financial and military assistance to Catherine de Medici against the Huguenots (French Calvinists), only to see her grant freedom of religion to them in 1570; angered Emperor Maximillian II when the pope presumed to nominate a new grand duke of Tuscany; and was in constant conflict with King Philip II of Spain on the royal control over the Church. Nevertheless, Pius V’s significant achievement in the political-military front was the victory of his Holy League with Spain and Venice over the Turkish fleet at Lepanto on 7 October 1571, which ended the Turkish superiority of the Mediterranean. He attributed this success to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He declared October 7 as the feast of Our Lady of Victory, which was changed by his successor Gregory XIII to the feast of the Most Holy Rosary.

Pius V died on 1 May 1572 at age 68 and was buried first in St. Peter’s, before his remains were transferred to the Basilica of St Mary Major in 1588. He was beatified on 1 May 1672 by Clement X and was canonized on 22 May 1712 by Clement XI. Feast day: April 30.

POPE BENEDICT XIII (1649-1730)

Pope from May 29, 1724 to February 21, 1730

Born Pietro Francesco Orsini, he renounced his inheritance and joined the Dominicans. Against his will, but through the influence of his family, he was created a cardinal in 1672 at age 23. Although he continued to live the life of a friar, he eventually became an archbishop. Then, he was unanimously elected pope on 29 May 1724 at age 75. He refused the papacy but later accepted it only when the Master of the Order urged him. He was caught in a controversy with his decision to retain Benevento as his Episcopal See while serving as the pope, the Bishop of Rome, which made him profoundly unpopular with the Roman people because of his cronies.

Despite the controversy, Benedict XIII manifested his service with pastoral sincerity. He consecrated churches, visited the sick, administered the sacraments, and even gave religious instructions. He criticized the lifestyle and fastidious appearance of cardinals and banned the profitable lottery in the Papal States. He presided over the Lateran Provincial Synod (1725) denouncing Jansenism. He declared that the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas had nothing to do with the Jansenist error of exaggerating the effects of divine grace to the detriment of the human will, or with Quietism, the view that salvation will be given to those who await it 'quietly' and passively, with no human effort at all. He canonized many saints, including Sts. John of the Cross and Aloysius Gonzaga.

He passed away on 21 February 1730 at age 81. He was first buried in St. Peters, but his remains were transferred to the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in 1738.

'Shoot me instead': Myanmar Nun Pleads with Junta Forces*

This handout photo taken on March 8, 2021 and released on March 9 by the Myitkyina News Journal shows a nun pleading with police not to harm protesters in Myitkyina in Myanmar's Kachin state, amid a crackdown on demonstrations against the military coup. (Photo by Handout / Myitkyina News Journal / AFP)

Source: New Straits Times

https://bit.ly/31GTRPI

Kneeling in the dust of a northern Myanmar city, Sr. Ann Rose Nu Tawng implored a group of heavily armed police officers to spare "the children" and take her life instead. The poignant image of the Catholic nun in her simple white habit, hands outstretched in a plea to the forces of the military junta, has gone viral, earning her widespread praise in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

"I knelt down... begging them not to shoot and torture the children, but to shoot me and kill me instead," she recounted. Her act of courage in Myitkyina on 9 March 2021, unfolded amidst the turmoil following the military's February 1, 2021 ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. As protests demanding a return to democracy continued, the junta intensified its use of force, deploying tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. Protesters in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, donned hard hats and wielded makeshift shields.

When police began to encircle the demonstrators, Sr. Ann Rose Nu Tawng and two other nuns urged them to disperse. "The police were chasing to arrest them, and I was worried for the children," she said, prompting the 45-year-old nun to fall to her knees in desperation. As she begged for restraint, the police opened fire on the crowd behind her. "The children panicked and ran to the front... I couldn't do anything but pray for God to save and help the children," she recalled.

In a haunting moment, she witnessed a man shot in the head fall lifeless before her, followed by the searing sting of tear gas. "I felt like the world was crashing," she lamented. "I'm very sad it happened while I was begging them." Local rescue teams confirmed that two men were shot dead at the scene, although it remained unclear whether live rounds or rubber bullets were used. One of the deceased, Zin Min Htet, was placed in a glass casket and transported on a golden hearse adorned with white and red flowers. Mourners raised three fingers in a symbol of resistance, while a musical ensemble of brass players, drummers, and a bagpiper in crisp white uniforms led the funeral procession.

Kachin, Myanmar's northernmost state, is home to the Kachin ethnic group and has been embroiled in a long-standing conflict between ethnic armed groups and the military. Tens of thousands have been displaced, seeking refuge in camps across the state, with Christian organizations among those providing aid. This was not Sr. Ann Rose Nu Tawng's first encounter with security forces. On February 28, 2021, she had made a similar plea for mercy, approaching riot-equipped police, kneeling, and imploring them to cease their actions. "I have thought myself dead already since February 28," she reflected, recalling her decision to confront the armed officers. Joined by fellow sisters and the local bishop, they surrounded her as she pleaded for the safety of the protesters. "We were there to protect our sister and our people because she had her life at risk," Sr. Mary John Paul explained. The city has witnessed frequent crackdowns since the coup, including a violent dispersal of peaceful teachers that forced many into hiding.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 60 people have been killed in anti-coup demonstrations across the country. Despite the pervasive fear, Sr. Ann Rose Nu Tawng remains resolute. "I can't stand by and do nothing while witnessing the suffering around me and seeing all of Myanmar grieving," she declared, emphasizing her commitment to stand up for "the children."

Why Was the Temple Veil Torn at Christ's Death?*

The imagery of the veil in the ancient Jewish temple serves as a powerful symbol of the separation between humanity and God due to sin. The veil was not merely a physical barrier; it represented the profound spiritual divide that existed because of humanity's transgressions. In the innermost sanctum, known as the "Holy of Holies," rested the very presence of God, a place so sacred that access was restricted. Only the high priest could enter this holy space, and he did so only once a year on the Day of Atonement, bringing with him the blood of a sacrificial animal as an offering for the sins of the people. This act was a solemn reminder of the weight of sin and the necessity of atonement.

For generations, this practice continued, but it was never sufficient to fully reconcile humanity with God. Each sacrifice, while important, pointed to an inherent inadequacy; the blood of animals could not truly atone for the depth of human sinfulness. This cycle of sacrifice illustrated a longing for something greater—a perfect and final solution to the problem of sin.

The narrative shifts dramatically with the coming of Jesus Christ. More than 2000 years ago, He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, one that would fulfill the requirements of atonement once and for all. By laying down His life, Jesus bridged the chasm between God and humanity, paying the ultimate price for our sins. His sacrifice was not merely a continuation of the old covenant but a complete fulfillment of it.

The moment of Jesus’ death is marked by a profound event: the tearing of the veil in the temple from top to bottom. This act was symbolic of the removal of barriers that had long existed between God and His people. No longer would humanity be confined by the limitations of the law or the insufficiency of animal sacrifices. With the veil torn, direct access to God was made available to all who believe.

This transformation is encapsulated in the words of Jesus in John 5:24: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” This promise underscores the significance of faith in Christ as the means by which individuals can experience eternal life and communion with God, free from the judgment that sin brings. The sacrifice of Jesus not only secured redemption but also opened the way for a personal relationship with God, inviting all people to step into the fullness of His grace and mercy.

In essence, the tearing of the veil marks a new era in the relationship between God and humanity, one characterized by grace, accessibility, and the assurance of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This profound shift invites all to respond, to believe, and to enter into the presence of God, knowing that they have been reconciled through the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God.