Acts 27:33-38. After surviving a lengthy storm, the ship carrying Paul as a prisoner to Rome has dropped anchor, hoping to see land in the morning. Before dawn, Paul urges all to eat, as they have not taken food for fourteen days. He says it will give them strength, "since not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you. And when he had said this, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then all were encouraged and all and ate some food themselves." Luke says there were 276 people on board the ship in total. When they had all eaten enough, they lightened the ship further by throwing the remaining wheat into the sea.

The other day I wrote of how this ship is a symbol for a new church within the early Church. Today's passage reinforces that symbolism greatly! Here we have a thinly veiled symbol of the Eucharist with which Paul feeds 276 people until they are satisfied, and there is even wheat remaining! There is so much in these few lines to break down, both in our human nature and in symbolism.

First, the people on this ship have not eaten in fourteen days. If they had this much wheat, why weren't they eating a little bit each day? The only reason I can think of is that they were so busy and panicked during the storm that no one took the time to see how much wheat was left, and they were afraid of eating what they imagined was very little remaining wheat in case they were lost at sea for a long time. Often, our fears, and our resulting mental state, can keep us from seeing God's gifts that are right in front of us. Further, this fourteen day fast is very meaningful. First of all, it symbolizes our preparatory fast before receiving the Eucharist. It also is very reminiscent of the story of the loaves and fishes, in which a few loaves and fishes were blessed by Jesus and fed a crowd of thousands. Now that I think about it, maybe there truly was not enough wheat left on board until God multiplied it!

In either case - whether there was enough wheat but they didn't know it, or God multiplied it - the people on board needed to calm down ("recline," as Jesus told the crowd that He fed) in order to rationally understand and accept that they should and must eat. Paul gets them to let go of their fear long enough to eat by assuring them that not a hair on any of their heads will be harmed. Having said this, Paul takes bread, gives thanks to God, breaks it and begins to eat. Note that he does not bless the bread, this is not an actual Eucharistic supper, because these people are not yet believers. These calm, holy actions of Paul, along with his assurances, encourage everyone to eat as well. In addition to everything else our Mass does for us, it is an opportunity to escape the worries, fears, and busyness of the world, listen to God's calming and encouraging Word, and then share in the Bread of Life that He wants each of us to eat. Those on board this ship are being strengthened for the next leg of their journey, just as we are at Mass. The fact that all were fed until they were full, with wheat left over, shows us that God will always provide for us, not just the bare minimum, but if we relax into His love, more than we could ever want or need!

Lastly, why throw the remaining wheat overboard? Luke tells us they were further lightening the ship, so they must have been certain they would reach land the next day, but needed the ship to be lighter to get there. From a spiritual point of view, this is symbolic of how we have to let go of all earthly attachments, fears, and worries before we can finally give ourselves fully to God. In the story of the loaves and fishes, the food had been blessed by Jesus - it was true bread of life, meant to be shared with all. In this story, though, the bread is merely a symbol. Having served its purpose of feeding the physical body, it must be let go of in order for the people to reach safety. Paul has promised, and we will soon see, that even the ship itself must be destroyed for everyone to reach land.

Earthly things like the bread and the ship are vital to our physical survival, but we cannot become so attached to them that we refuse to give them up when God is leading us to something better. By sharing bread enough to feed and encourage us all, God shows that we need not worry, every fast will end, and He will always, in every situation, provide for our needs as He leads us to the safety of His Kingdom. When our ship runs aground and must be abandoned, we will have arrived at wherever He wants us to be for the next stage of our lives. It is all such a wonderful adventure, and we truly have nothing to fear!