Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. (Mt 14:19-20)

What a feast we have today in the readings for the Mass: Isaiah’s invitation to come to the water, Paul’s declaration that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, and Matthew’s Feeding of the 5,000. The Feeding of the 5,000 is one of the many feeding stories that form the background for the Table Ministry of Jesus and which culminates in the Last Supper in the Gospel According to Matthew and is a sign of its fulfillment in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in the Book of Revelation (Rev 19:9). The connection with the Eucharist is deliberate. The gospel writer uses the same verbal actions to describe both the Feeding of the 5,000 and the Last Supper: take, bless, break and give:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” (Mt 26:26)