Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Gospel we have heard (Jn 6:1-15) is the word of salvation for all humanity.  This Good News is proclaimed today throughout the world; for the Church in Cameroon, it resounds as a providential proclamation of God’s love and of our communion.

The Apostle John describes a large crowd (cf. vv. 2-5), just as we are here now.  For all those people, however, there is very little food: only “five barley loaves and two fish” (v. 9).  Observing this disproportion, Jesus asks us today, just as he asked his disciples then:  how will you solve this problem?  Look at all these hungry people, weighed down by fatigue.  What will you do?

This question is posed to each one of us. It is posed to the fathers and mothers who care for their families.  It is directed to the shepherds of the Church, who watch over the Lord’s flock, and also to those who bear social and political responsibility for the people and seek their well-being.  Christ asks this question to the powerful and the weak, to the rich and the poor, to the young and the elderly, because we all hunger in the same way.  Our necessity reminds us that we are creatures.  We need to eat in order to live.  We are not God: but where is God in the face of people’s hunger?

While awaiting our answers, Jesus gives his own:  “Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted” (v. 11).  A serious problem was solved by blessing the little food that was present and sharing it with all who were hungry.  The multiplication of the loaves and the fish happened while sharing: that is the miracle!  There is bread for everyone if it is given to everyone.  There is bread for everyone if it is taken, not with a hand that snatches away, but with a hand that gives.  Let us observe Jesus’ gesture closely:  when the Son of God took the bread and the fish, he first gave thanks.  He was grateful to the Father for that which would become a gift and a blessing for all the people.

In this way, the food was abundant.  It was not rationed out of necessity.  It was not stolen in strife.  It was not wasted by those who gorge themselves in the presence of those who have nothing to eat.  Passing from the hands of Christ to those of his disciples, the food increased for everyone; indeed, it was superabundant (cf. vv. 12-13).  Amazed by what Jesus had done, the people exclaimed:  “This is indeed the prophet!” (v. 14), that is, the one who speaks in God’s name, the Word of the Almighty.  It was true!  However, Jesus did not use those words for personal gain.  He did not want to become king (cf. v. 15), because he had come to serve with love, not to dominate.

The miracle he performed is a sign of this love.  It shows us not only how God provides humanity with the bread of life, but how we can share this sustenance with all men and women who, like ourselves, hunger for peace, freedom and justice.  Each act of solidarity and forgiveness, every good effort, becomes a morsel of bread for humanity in need of care.  Yet this alone is not enough: the food that sustains the body must be accompanied, with equal charity, by nourishment for the soul — a nourishment that sustains our conscience and steadies us in dark hours of fear and amid the shadows of suffering.  This food is Christ himself, who always gives his Church abundant sustenance and strengthens us on our journey by giving us his Eucharistic Body.

Sisters and brothers, the Eucharist that we are celebrating is the source of renewed faith, because Jesus becomes present among us.  The Sacrament does not merely revive a distant memory; it brings about a “companionship” that transforms us because it sanctifies us.  Blessed are those invited to the Supper of the Lord!  This very altar, around which we gather for the Eucharist, becomes a proclamation of hope amid the trials of history and the injustices we see around us.  It is a sign of God’s love; in Christ, the Father invites us to share what we have, so that it may be multiplied in ecclesial fellowship.

The Lord embraces heaven and earth.  He knows our hearts and all the situations — joyful or sorrowful — that we experience.  By becoming man to save us, he chose to share in the simplest and most everyday needs of humanity.  Hunger thus speaks to us not only of our poverty but, above all, of his love.  Let us remember this every time we see in their eyes a brother or sister who lacks life’s necessities.  Through their eyes, the question that Jesus posed to his disciples is repeated:  “What are you going to do for all these people?”  Being witnesses of Christ and imitating his acts of love certainly involves difficulties and obstacles, from without and from within us, where pride can corrupt the heart.  In those circumstances, however, let us repeat with the psalmist: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Ps 27:1).  Even if we sometimes falter, God always encourages us.  “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (v. 14).

Dear young people, I would like to extend this invitation especially to you, as you are the beloved children of the African continent!  As brothers and sisters of Jesus, multiply your talents through the faith, perseverance, and friendship that inspire you.  Be the first faces and hands that bring the bread of life to your neighbors, providing them with the food of wisdom and deliverance from all that does not nourish them, but rather obscures good desires and robs them of their dignity.

Despite the richness of the land in Cameroon, many experience both material and spiritual poverty.  Do not give in to distrust and discouragement.  Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives by promising easy gains but hardens the heart and makes it insensitive.  Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, for your treasure lies in your values:  faith, family, hospitality and work.  Be, therefore, protagonists of the future, following the vocation that God gives to each of you.  Do not let yourselves be corrupted by temptations that waste your energies and do not serve the progress of society.

In order to make your noble spirit the prophetic voice of a new world, learn from the example that we have just heard in the Acts of the Apostles.  The first Christians gave courageous witness to the Lord Jesus in the face of difficulties and threats, and persevered even amid persecution (cf. Acts 5:40-41).  The disciples “every day in the temple and at home… did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah” (v. 42), that is, the Christ, the Liberator of the world.  Yes, the Lord frees us from sin and death.  Proclaiming this Gospel unceasingly is the mission of every Christian, and it is a mission that I entrust especially to you, dear young people, and to the entire Church in Cameroon.  Become Good News for your country, just like Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui is for the Congolese people.

Brothers and sisters, teaching leaves a sign, like the mark of the farmer’s plow in the field, which enables what is sown to bear fruit.  In a similar way, Christian proclamation changes our lives, transforming minds and hearts.  Proclaiming the risen Jesus means leaving signs of justice in a suffering and oppressed land, signs of peace amid rivalry and corruption, signs of faith that free us from superstition and indifference.  With this Gospel message in our hearts, we will shortly share the Eucharistic Bread that sustains us for eternity.  With joyful faith, let us ask the Lord to multiply his gift among us for the good of all.