Yesterday in the Gospel we saw Jesus miraculously feed five thousand people. It was a miracle of compassion, not unlike the concern of the apostles mentioned in the first reading, but it was more. It was a sign of the power which Jesus has over material elements, bread in particular, a power which He exercises in the Eucharist. Today we see Jesus perform another sign, the walking on the water.

In the Old Testament power over water was seen as a sign of divinity. We need think only of the mighty power of God which parted the waters of the Red Sea for the passage of the Israelites. Jesus "conquered" the waters not only by walking over the waves but also by quieting the storm. This miracle was another step in the gradual revelation of His true character as Son of God. It was a sign of the power which Jesus as divine has over His own body.

The multiplication of the loaves and the walking on the water fit together as one sign concerning the Eucharist. They show that Jesus has the power to multiply the presence of His body under the apprearances of bread. Jesus is concerned about our physical welfare, but He is even more deeply concerned about our spiritual welfare. These two events in the Gospel of John are an invitation to have faith in the Eucharist.