Even in the wilderness, we should not forget that the Divine Lover never ceases to reach out to us.

August 2, 2026: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Isaiah 55:1–3
Psalm 145:8–9, 15–18
Romans 8:35, 37–39
Matthew 14:13–21

Feasting in the Wilderness

A reflection by Jon Schum

When I was a freshman at Canisius College many years ago, my Jesuit instructor in the Old Testament introduced the concept of “covenant.” I had been raised on Bible “stories,” but for the first time I was actually reading the Bible for myself. Unlike a simple business agreement, I learned that a biblical covenant was a deeply personal mutual commitment of faithfulness. This discovery occasioned an awakening of faith in me: the realization that God was intimately involved with humanity, and that included me. God was no longer just a story or a concept. Little did I realize where this insight would lead me.

There are few passages that illuminate “covenant” more wonderfully than the poetic verses in Isaiah. “Come to the (living) water… come to the royal feast at no cost… listen, that you may have life… I shall establish a covenant with you, and you will know the abundant mercies shown to David” (55:1–3). The poet-prophet offers an exiled people comforting words within the setting of a lavish banquet.

There are two different banquets within the context of today’s gospel. Jesus receives news of the brutal killing of John the Baptizer (see Mt 14:1–12). John was executed at the behest of the daughter of Herodias and Herod, whom he had publicly admonished for their incestuous marriage. The evangelist offers a compelling contrast between a spineless and hedonistic king hosting a birthday bash in his own honor, and the miraculous multiplication of the loaves for hungry families who met Jesus in the wilderness, longing for healing and hope. Jesus’ heart is moved with pity (literally “profound inner emotion”) and he miraculously feeds the hungry crowds. As Isaiah proclaims, God’s goodness is given freely, “without paying and without cost” (55:1).

The banquet in the wilderness echoes the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper and offers context for the early Church’s celebration of the Eucharist. It also hearkens back to God’s feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness (Ex 16:15). The banquet image opens us up to that eternal banquet that celebrates the fullness of the reign of God and exceeds all expectations. No wonder that this miracle story appears six times in all four gospels (twice in Matthew and Mark).

Consider the wilderness in which this miracle occurs. The Greek word – eremos – refers to a quiet and uncultivated place away from worldly clamor. Wilderness has a deep spiritual context. It is the place of solitude and prayer. It is also the place of testing, struggle and self-confrontation.

I think I can safely say we have all found ourselves in the wilderness at one time or another. It may be voluntary – a long retreat or a needed “time out” to center ourselves and reset our values. Often this is a time of reflection and prayer, the seeking of divine guidance.

There are also wilderness moments not of our choosing – processing broken relationships, moving through significant loss, coping with infirmities, or suffering under oppressive systems. Such moments are called “liminal spaces” in contemporary psychology. They challenge our autonomy and our certainty. Like the time we have spent in the closet, we might feel like a stranger in a strange land. Victims/survivors of childhood sexual abuse spend years coping with the fallout of depression and anxiety. It is a recurring wilderness experience.

I am amazed at how I have been nourished and sustained through my own wilderness journeys. We tend to notice such blessings more in retrospect rather than in the present moment. I can look back on my own struggles and see clearly that I was not alone; perhaps it was Christ who walked with me, or the Holy Spirit who lifted me. I realized there were circles of friends and family and faith communities who supported me and prayed for me. It’s interesting that Jesus engages the apostles to distribute the bread – there is a solidarity between those who provide and those who are fed. Sometimes we are fed; sometimes we provide. We are in covenant with one another. We often call it “community.”

This fall we will have conversations around the 40th anniversary of the Ratzinger (or “Halloween”) letter. This Vatican mandate ordered LGBTQ+ faith communities off of Catholic properties. Bishops forbade priests from presiding at the Eucharist for queer Catholic communities, specifically Dignity. This was an expulsion, an exile into the wilderness, and it took its toll on chapters and members. Yet Dignity members worked to continue providing welcoming and safe spaces at the Eucharistic table in new settings, worship spaces, and homes. The word of God would continue to be proclaimed, affirming the goodness and holiness of all those gathered in worship and prayer. Over the years, we have labored to keep covenant in the wilderness with the bountiful God who sustains us. And perhaps, just maybe… we are seeing some encouraging signs of change in our church.

St. Paul is at a loss to name any power or catastrophe that can defeat us. Not even angels nor demons, not death or time itself can rob us of the God who loves us. Can we embrace Paul’s mantra as our own? Nothing in all creation “will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus, our Savior” (Rm 8:38–39). The wilderness where we often find ourselves is the place where the covenant is renewed, again and again. We should not forget that the Divine Lover never ceases to reach out to us, inviting us to that “deeply personal mutual commitment of faithfulness” that stirred the soul of a young college freshman years ago.

Jon Schum and his husband Ron Lacro are longtime Dignity Boston members. Jon has served on its board and liturgy committee and is one of the chapter's ordained presiders. For many years he supervised and provided arts-based therapeutic programming for an elder services agency in Boston. He is currently a co-facilitator of the Aging with Dignity caucus and board member at DignityUSA.

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