Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/576

 kingdom of  God  and  His  justice,  and  all  these  things  (which  are  necessary for  the  life  of  the  body)  shall  be  added  unto  you."

Grace at  meals. Before  multiplying  and  distributing  the  bread, Jesus raised  His  eyes  to  heaven  and  prayed. Thus we,  before  and after our  meals,  ought  to  raise  our  hearts  to  God,  from  whom  all  good things come.

Waste. The words  of  our  Lord  bid  us  also  to  beware  of  wastefulness: “Gather  up  the  fragments,  lest  they  be  lost.”  It  is  wrong to allow  the  gifts  of  God  to  be  wasted. What is  left  over  from  our food should,  if  possible,  be  given  to  the  poor,  and,  if  not,  to  animals.

The annual  multiplication  of  food.  The  wonderful  miracle  of  the loaves ought  to  remind  us  how  every  year  God  gives  increase  to  the seed which  we  sow. For example,  ten  grains  of  wheat  sown  in  the ground produce  three  or  four  hundred  grains:  one  small  potato  produces from  ten  to  twenty  potatoes,  and  so  forth  with  everything. Now, who has  given  to  the  seed  its  power  of  germinating  in  the  ground,  of growing  up,  and  of  bearing  fruit? Who sends  the  sunshine,  dew  and rain, without  which  no  seed  can  thrive? It is  God. The annual  increase of  food  is  the  work  of  God’s  Omnipotence. We do  not  call it a miracle,  for  it  all  happens  in  what  we  call  the  course  of  nature, and we  are  so  accustomed  to  it  that  it  makes  no  impression  on  us. “The wonderful  way  in  which  God  governs  the  world  and  provides for all  His  creatures  makes  no  impression  on  us. His marvels  are  so constantly  occurring  that  we  scarcely  observe  His  wonderful  action  in every  little  grain  of  corn  &amp;c. It is  on  this  account  that  sometimes, in His  mercy,  God  performs  wonders  out  of  the  course  of  nature,  so that  men  may  realize  the  marvel  (not  because  it  is  greater  than  what is  constantly  occurring,  but  only  more  unusual),  since  the  every-day wonders make  no  impression  on  us. The government  of  creation  is really  a greater  marvel  than  the  feeding  of  five  thousand  with  five loaves, but  whereas  no  one  marvels  at  the  one,  all  men  were  astounded at the  other,  not  because  it  was  greater,  but  because  it  was  more  unusual” (St.  Augustine).

The Divinity  of  our  Lord.  Our  Lord  wrought  four  miracles  in the  early  dawn  after  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  — miracles  of  a new kind, which  on  that  account  made  a great  impression  on  the  apostles, and so  quickened  their  faith,  that  they  cried  out:  “Thou  art  the  Son of God!”  1. Jesus Himself  walked  on  the  sea,  stepping  as  easily  and firmly over  the  seething  waves  as  He  would  have  done  on  dry  land. He did  not  work  this  miracle  on  any  one  else,  but  by  it  He  manifested Himself as  a supernatural  Being  transcending  the  ordinary  laws  of nature. As He  trod  the  dark  abyss  of  water,  He  stood  forth  as  the Lord of  creation,  being  subject  to  the  otherwise  inexorable  laws  of nature  (such  as  gravitation)  only  in  so  far  as  He  pleased. 2. At  our Lord’s bidding  St.  Peter  walked  on  the  water,  and  was  kept  up  by