As I was preparing to write something about the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, I came upon Gerald Darring’s reflection on world hunger in light of Jesus’s challenge in Sunday’s Gospel to “give them something to eat.” It puts things in perspective. Here’s what Gerald wrote:
When the disciples came to Jesus with the request to dismiss the people to go find food, Jesus challenged them with the question: “Why do you not give them something to eat yourselves?” That question should haunt us today.
More than enough food is grown to feed everyone on this planet. “Why do you not give them something to eat yourselves?”
More than 60,000 people will die of hunger on this feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Twothirds of them will be children. “Why do you not give them something to eat yourselves?”
Nearly one in five people worldwide is chronically malnourished—too hungry to lead a productive, active life. “Why do you not give them something to eat yourselves?”
One-third of the world’s children are significantly underweight for their age. “Why do you not give them something to eat yourselves?”
The amount of money the world spends on weapons in one minute could feed 2,000 malnourished children for a year. “Why do you not give them something to eat yourselves?”
Jesus is our living bread. It is his obvious intention that we be well fed. The Eucharist, a great gift from the same God that sent the manna in the desert, should strengthen the determination of both the hungry and the satisfied to do what it takes to eliminate hunger.
As we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist and the feast of our patron, Aloysius Gonzaga, who served God’s poor and sick with sacrificial love, I pray that our parish family will always gather around the Eucharistic table and feed one another – and the world – in love. Happy Feast Days and Happy Father’s Day!
Welcome to the Saint Aloysius! Our parish was founded in 1896 to serve the Catholic families that were settling in the greater New Canaan area.