I am struck by the fact that the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist follows today’s account. What is the link between the Baptist’s martyrdom and the feeding of many?

After Jesus received word that his cousin was martyred, he withdrew by boat to a lonely place (Matthew 14:31, RSV). Jesus went to be alone with his Father. What did he think about? Did he grieve or consider his own death in light of the Baptist who prepared the way? Many who saw him followed on foot to a desert area. They stayed with him so long they became hungry, but no record shows they grumbled about being with the Lord in the desert, unlike God’s people with Moses. The disciples, well-intentioned, want Jesus to send them home to eat. Here it gets interesting. Jesus commands the disciples to feed the crowd themselves, but all they could gather were five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:17, RSV). Then he orders the disciples to give him the five loaves and two fish and have the crowd sit by the grass.

At this moment, we hear Eucharistic language: taking, blessed, broken, given. Jesus took the people’s simple gifts, offered them to his Father, and gave them to the disciples to feed the multitude. He had them sit by the grass; perhaps John’s way of portraying Jesus as the Good Shepherd, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters …” (Psalm 23:1-2). The most provocative detail for me is that he gives the disciples abundant food to feed the multitude. The multitude do not come directly to Jesus to be fed. This reminds me that we have a place, a community, a liturgy where Jesus is the shepherd and the source, and we are all fed. We do not come alone to meet the Lord. We come as broken, hurt, and sick, and through his Church he restores, feeds, and sends us. This is the Eucharistic shape, and this is what we are called to be.

I think the correlation between the Baptist’s martyrdom and the feeding of many is a reminder today that from the blood of martyrs the faith is born. People become hungry for truth and wish to be fed by food that will sustain their own journey.