TWO  FISHES … FIVE  LOAVES …WHY NOT HALF A DOZEN OF EACH ?

In the Gospel narrative, according to Saint Matthew, we read about  ‘The Multiplication of the bread’. There was a lad who had two fishes and five loaves.

Were the numbers ‘two’ and ‘five’ incidental ? Do these numbers have any hidden message for us ? Is there a symbolic value, meaning ?

We have to keep in mind that God speaks to us, His children by means of the Holy Scripture, and that these writings are inspired. I believe that the Holy Spirit uses every means; cultural, historical, traditional etc. to convey the Father’s message.

We have to keep in mind that this miracle was a pre-figurement of the Holy Eucharist. On the mount Christ fed the people with barley loaves, in the Holy Eucharist Christ feeds us, nourishes us with the Bread of Angels, with His own Body and Blood.

In the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, in the Mass, in the Lamb’s Supper, we accept Christ’s invitation when He told His Apostle: “Take and eat, this is My Body.”  When we receive the Sacred Host, we will be receiving the Holy Eucharist, therefore we will be receiving a Sacramental Grace.

Now, in the Bible number five represents God’s grace, favour and goodness to humanity, so these are given to us humans. If number five is multiplied by itself we get twenty five, which is ‘grace upon grace’ (John 1:16). And was not Jesus showing His goodness, His favour, His mercy towards those circa nine thousand people who left their work and follow Jesus to hear His words ?

Though the Gospel mentions five thousand, but according to the Jewish Culture only the men used to be counted. But there were their sisters, wives, their children, their parents or even their in-laws. Who knows, maybe there were more than nine thousand to feed.

We read that the lad had two fishes. Now number two conveys the meaning, idea of union. A man and a woman though two persons become one in marriage (Genesis). St Paul in 1Corinthians, verse twelve tells us that Christ and the Church (His Bride) become one.

When we receive the Sacred Host, the Body of Jesus, the Divine and the human become one. Now we come to the ‘fishes’ themselves. In the Holy Scripture we do have two very important fishes, one in the Old Testament and another in the New Testament.

Jonah was swallowed by a fish (whale) for three days, and this is a figure of Jesus’ stay in the tomb.

The word fish in Greek is ICHTHUS, but what is interesting is the fact that the word ICHTHUS is formed from the first letter of each word of the statement, declaration: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. So Jesus Christ is the fish of the New Testament. No wonder that the first Christians used to scratch the shape of a fish in the dust, to inform others that they are the followers of the Nazarene. No, nothing happens by chance and the Holy Spirit is always ready to help us understand if we but call Him, approach Him or invoke Him.