The Number of the Flock…

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Genesis 14:18-20 | Psalm 109:1-4 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | Luke 9:11-17


I have written about the multiplication of loaves and fish before, so I’ll focus today on an aspect of today’s Gospel that’s usually glossed over:

[…] there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty’. They did so and made them all sit down. (Luke 9:14-15)

Every time I read this passage, I somehow picture Jesus instructing just twelve apostles to organise the crowd of 5,000 families (husbands plus their wives and children). Barring some supernatural intervention, this would have been doomed to failure; imagine the chaos that would ensue at a buffet dinner for 10,000 people, with just one serving table and 12 wait staff.

But Luke specifically refers to Jesus’ disciples, people who were not His chosen, but came to him of their own free will. These probably numbered in the hundreds, which makes the task of organising and distributing food to the huge crowd far more manageable. Now we’re talking about a sit-down dinner for 10,000; 50-seat tables might be a little large, but folks could still pass the dishes as the servers bring them out of the kitchen with little chaos.

Without those disciples to help get things organised, everything falls apart, and nothing gets done properly. No doubt it would’ve been within Jesus’ power to feed the crowd all by Himself, but no organisation can flourish when the CEO is forced to clean the toilets at the end of the day for lack of manpower.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

I firmly believe that the size of each parish is directly proportional to the number of active ministers therein. Without sufficient people to serve within and outside of mass, little can be accomplished at the parish, so I think it’s inevitable that the congregation would simply dwindle to a level that can be managed by whoever’s available, if not less. A skeletal “staff” eventually begets an empty church, bereft of hope and warmth.

A strong ministerial contingent, in contrast, inspires collective action to sustain a vibrant and participatory parish that would draw believers from near and far. It also takes a major load off the parish priests, who can then focus on more spiritual matters.

Therefore, dear reader, if you’re not already involved in your parish, I strongly urge you to spend some quiet time searching your heart, and asking God to inspire you to devote some time to one ministry or another. We may not be ordained to priestly service, but we are still called to shepherd our brothers and sisters in Christ in whatever way we can, and within the framework of parish life, we need not fear serving alone.

Amen.

P.S. Today’s title was inspired by my dearest friend, to whom I remarked yesterday that his new mobile contact ended…with the Number of the Beast. Yes, I often make such bizarre connections in my head. ? ?

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