“There is no need for them to go away”
The feeding of the five thousand is not just about feeding the body. There is a deeper hunger a hunger within the soul. The Gospel says that, “When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.” Jesus is mourning, the death of His cousin and friend. In the midst of His mourning, he turns from Himself to those in greater need and “his heart was moved with pity.”
Why does Jesus pity these people? Why does He pity us? Jesus has pity on us because our spirit is willing, but yet our flesh is weak. The five thousand have willing spirits. They seek out Jesus and follow Him into the desert, not knowing what to expect. They put forth effort and are pursuing Christ. Spiritually they are longing, but their flesh is weak. As it gets late and dark, the weakness of the flesh sets in. Jesus tells the disciples that there is “no need for them to go away”. How many times are we spiritually willing but when the flesh kicks in and gets weak, we feel the need to “go away”? Many times we are spiritually willing to pray, to study our faith, to participate in Mass, but then the flesh kicks in and we “go away”? How in these situations does the weakness of the flesh cause us to give up and “go away”? Jesus is telling us to stick with it, to not give up. He says to us, “There is no need for you to go away.” There is no need at all because Jesus satisfies our every need, both body and soul, flesh and spirit. Jesus never heals the body without concern also for the soul. A great multitude followed Him, “because He gave sight to the blind, and did other similar things. And we must keep in mind that those whom He healed in body, He likewise renewed in soul.” [1]
What is the relationship between the Body and the Soul? Give examples of times when there is tension between the two? Give examples of when there is agreement between the two? Is one subordinate to the other?
Before the fall what was the original state of both Body and Soul? Body (Flesh) and Soul (Divine Life within us) were once integrated, united. Body and Soul were once pure, perfect and ordered toward God.
What was the state of Body and Soul after the fall? After the Fall, mankind lost the Divine Life within the soul and the flesh or body was no longer ordered toward God but disordered having the tendency to go away from God. After the Fall, man lost his integrity, the union between Body and Soul. In Christ all things are restored…this means that the Body and Soul, in Christ can be unified, can be one, and can be ordered toward God in purity and perfection. Through baptism we share in the “Divine Life” and sanctifying Grace we receive at Baptism is the “seed of glory” [2] planted in our soul.
Our goal should be to allow this “seed of glory” to grow and reach its potential during our life. We are fallen, but in Christ, we are redeemed. Through Grace we regain what was lost. This is the advice of Saint Stephen of Hungary to his son. “Be humble in this life, that God may raise you up in the next. Be truly moderate and do not punish or condemn anyone immoderately. Be gentle so that you may never oppose justice. Be honorable so that you may voluntarily bring disgrace upon anyone. Be chaste so that you may avoid all the foulness of lust like the pangs of death.” [3] Saint Stephen did not expect his son to live life as a fallen person, but rather to live life in this world as to be raised up in the next.
Saint Paul says that Body and Soul are “opposed to each other”. “I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want.” [4] Jesus says the “spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. “Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” [5]
Is this opposition / difference temporary or permanent? When Saint Paul says that the body and soul are “opposed to each other” and Jesus says, the “spirit is willing, but the flesh is week”, they are describing a temporary state not a permanent state. Catholics do not believe that the body or flesh is bad or evil; we believe that the body or flesh is fallen but can be restored, restored in the person of Christ, the Word made flesh. The fallen state is only temporary and should be perfected in the person and Grace of Jesus Christ. Jesus and Saint Paul are speaking to people that have the “Divine Life”, their words show that Grace in the soul does not automatically perfect and order the flesh, nor does grace infused in the soul automatically unite both the soul “full of Grace” and the flesh “still disordered”. Jesus and Saint Paul say to “watch”, “pray”, “live”. These are actions. Grace does not destroy our human nature (our flesh), instead Grace perfects, builds upon and orders what was previously disordered thus restoring all things in Christ. This is an act of the will on the part of the believer and an act of Grace on the part of God. This is the path of perfection and the vocation of every baptized Christian.
There are many different viewpoints in society as to the ongoing relationship of the Body and the Soul. What are some of these viewpoints, what is your viewpoint, what is the Church’s viewpoint? When the Flesh and the Spirit unite it is not the Spirit winning over the Flesh or even the Flesh succumbing to the Spirit but rather the two are now one. The disordered desires of the flesh are now ordered desires which are manifested by living out the virtues and bringing forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit. A life of virtue and living out the fruits of the Holy Spirit is evidence of our oneness with Christ and His Church, a oneness that was gained in Baptism and sustained with the Sacramental Life. “Having become a member of the Church, the person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to Him who died and rose for us. From now on, he is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church, and to ‘obey and submit’ to the Church's leaders, holding them in respect and affection. Just as Baptism is the source of responsibilities and duties, the baptized person also enjoys rights within the Church: to receive the Sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church.” [6]
“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if you the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” [7] How we live is an example to others. If we say that we are Christian, we are saying that we are alive in Christ. If we say we are alive in Christ, but yet our deeds show nothing but death, we cause scandal and may even cause people to doubt the power and existence of Christ, who is God.
What do think is the main reason for Atheism (no belief in God)? In what ways is Christ misrepresented, presented in an inappropriate or fake way? If we take the name of Christ, we must as Saint Gregory of Nyssa says be an authentic and appropriate witness of this name. It has been said that the greatest cause of Atheism are Christians that profess Christ with their lips, but deny Him with their lives. [8] This hypocrisy is not an appropriate witness of Christ and it does not present the authentic person of Christ in which the world is desperately in need. “Since we possess Christ who is peace, we must put an end to this enmity and live as we believe he lived. He broke down the separating wall, uniting what was divided, bringing about peace by reconciling in his single person those who disagreed. In the same way, we must be reconciled not only with those who attack us from outside, but also with those who attack us from within; flesh then will no longer be opposed to the spirit, nor the spirit to the flesh. Once we subject the wisdom of the flesh to God’s law, we shall be re-created as one single man at peace. Then, having become one instead of two, we shall have peace within ourselves. Now, peace is defined as harmony among those who are divided. When, therefore, we end the civil war within our nature and cultivate peace within ourselves, we become at peace. By this peace we demonstrate that the name of Christ, which we bear, is authentic and appropriate.” [9]
Self Reflection using the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Galatians 5:20-23 shows the contrast between works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. The famous prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi also shows the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace: Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is discord, harmony; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, truth; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek: To be consoled as to console; to be loved, as to love. For, it is in giving, that we receive; It is in forgetting self, that we find ourselves; It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned; And it is in dying, that we are born into eternal life.”
[1] The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers; Volume Two; Fourth Sunday of Lent; Alcuin
[2] Saint Thomas Aquinas
[3] Saint Stephen’s letter to his son; Office of Readings – August 16, feast of Saint Stephen
[4] Galatians 5:16-17
[5] Matthew 26:41
[6] Transitus: School of Perfection – thelastmartyrdom.com
[7] Romans 8:13
[8] Billy Graham
[9] Saint Gregory of Nyssa; Office of Readings; Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time