Jesus and Juvenal

Seeing Jesus as our supernatural Bread King

04/13/2024

Jn 6:1-15 Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

In your classes of Humane Letters have you crossed paths with a Roman poet named “Juvenal”? he coined a phrase that captured the depravity of the desires of the Roman people. He said simply, “All they desire is bread and circuses.” The common people, in other words, no longer dreamed of Roman glory or honor or virtue, but just wanted food and entertainment, bread and circuses.

In the movie “Gladiator”, Russell Crowe defeats his opponent, a big thug, in the Colosseum, and then throws his sword at Emperor Commodus, sitting in his box seat. The gladiator shouts into the crowds, “Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?” Sometimes after a homily, I want to throw my Bible into the congregation and shout: “Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?” That is, some people just come to Mass for “bread and circuses” and I feel like the circus monkey doing tricks to make people laugh and be entertained.

In the gospel today we see Jesus is worried about the same base desires of the people as Juvenal would be seventy years later. Remember that Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish around 30 AD while Juvenal would write his Satires around 100 AD. We read in John’s gospel: “Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king” – a bread king – “he withdrew again to the mountain alone.”

Then, after crossing the sea of Tiberias to the other side, Jesus will teach them the “Bread of Life Discourse,” that is, all about the Eucharist. In other words, the people should not just be seeking bread and circuses, but rather the Bread of Eternal life, namely, Jesus. But the Jewish populace, like the Roman populace, was satisfied with “bread and circuses,” food and entertainment.

Well, isn’t it a relief that things have changed so much in 2,000 since those depraved Roman and Jews?! The populace of Northwest Arkansas, and especially here at Ozark Catholic Academy, doesn’t care for “bread and circuses” but only seeks virtue, holiness, service, and honor. Right? Hardly. C. S. Lewis described our desires starkly, writing: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us.”

He continued: “[We are] like an ignorant child who wants to go to making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” You see, when Lewis uses the terms “drink and sex and ambition” he means what Juvenal did by “bread and circuses.” Instead of satisfying these base, animal, desires, Lewis points to the true Bread of Life, the Eucharist. Technologically and scientifically we may be far more advanced than our Roman and Jewish predecessors. But as for our shared human nature, we are the same or possibly worse.

Boys and girls, if there is one thing you are learning here at OCA, it is that there is more to life than bread and circuses, food and entertainment. Of course it’s great to live in Northwest Arkansas because of all the great restaurants (great food), and all the forms of entertainment, especially now that Coach Calipari is the new head basketball coach. But this school should force you to ask yourself everyday: is that all there is to life, just bread and circuses? If that is the height of our human desires than we are little better than the Romans and Jews of Jesus and Juvenal’s day.

By the way, have you ever wondered why the bread of the Eucharist is so small? Is it because the Church is so poor that we cannot afford to give each person at Mass a decent sandwich for Communion? No. It is because Jesus and the Church do not want you to look at our Lord as a natural Bread King, but as a supernatural Bread King. Have you ever complained: “Why is the Mass so boring?” That is another way of saying, “I am here to be entertained!”

The Eucharist is a test of faith. In other words, Jesus is not here to feed your face with lots of food or to be your circus monkey and give you endless entertainment. He is here to be your Savior. That test of faith in Jesus is the real test OCA is preparing you to pass by going to Mass several times a week The reason the Eucharist is so small is because it is a test. And not many people pass that test. “Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?”

Praised be Jesus Christ!