Dear Friend 

Reflection by Luke Fuller

The Fifth Loaf

The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes is simple in construction. Its restoration placed an emphasis on its centuries old mosaic floors. The high empty ceilings encourages visitors to look for something to focus on that is more at eye level as opposed to staring at the floor. The altar and sanctuary provide that focus. The stone altar with a simple mosaic on the floor in front of it, recalling one of the Lord’s most famous miracles with two fish and four loaves. This is an ingenious design that leaves viewers questioning their Bible knowledge. Where is the fifth loaf?

The answer is right above it. The altar brings us the fifth loaf during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Jesus truly present in the Eucharist is not only the loaf that completes the number recalling the Gospel, but the one loaf that we need and more. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith. Everything about Catholicism stems from this most holy sacrament which brings us to each part of the Paschal Mystery, “‘concentrated’ forever in the one gift” as Pope St. John Paul II says in Ecclesia de Eucharistia.

One of the marks of the Lenten season is fasting. Fasting from food, drinks, bad habits, and mindsets all fall into this category. By fasting we create a space for something else to enter. In this sense, through all the different things we can fast from this year, we make more room for Jesus Christ within us. The Eucharist is the food we need in order to make it through the Passion on Good Friday, to get to the glory of Easter and, God willing, enter into the place our Lord has prepared for us. The Eucharist fills all the space we make for Christ to enter. Making sure we are in the proper state of grace to receive this sacrament is vital. Committing to prayer and the Sacrament of Reconciliation is how we begin to make room for the living God to dwell in us.

The small church in the Galilee region truly lets the Lord provide the beauty, truth, and goodness that we are all searching for restlessly. In this “empty” church, and in all churches worldwide, God fills the space. He fills it with His Divine presence, most especially in the Eucharist. The Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ is what fuels us to continue onward toward our heavenly home and union with God. Lent is a time to begin to uproot the aspects of our lives that take up the space that Christ should be in, and to be nourished by our heavenly food. With the Eucharist this Lent, and always, the grace of God will continue to be multiplied in each of us in ways that we could never imagine, as we continue our walk on our journey of faith.

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Luke Fuller is a Pre-Theology I seminarian for the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J.