“Jesus spoke to the crowd of the kingdom of God and cured those who needed healing” (John 9:11)
Before miraculously multiplying food for the five thousand, Jesus was teaching and healing them. His disciples, predicting a problem, wanted to send them away. But Jesus instead tells them to provide for the crowd, and helps them achieve it, so that he can keep close to his flock: he wanted to keep teaching and healing them.
After his Ascension, Jesus wanted a way to keep close to us, so he can teach and heal us unceasingly. The miracle of the Eucharist, his real presence under the appearance of bread and wine, lets him do this. When he sent the Holy Spirit from heaven at Pentecost, it was not as a substitute; rather the Holy Spirit makes Jesus present again in new ways, above all in Holy Communion.
