Today we reflect on the miracle of the feeding by the Lord, of the 5,000 people. Right from the opening, it should not be lost onto us of how the Lord continues to feed us through the Eucharist and through Sacred Scripture. There is hunger that He alone can satisfy. I would like to draw your attention to two important things that we can reflect on for the day...
First, is that the Lord noticed a need in the lives of the people and He expressed a desire to do something about it. Sometimes we go through a lot in life and wonder whether God sees and understands the burdens we carry. We are reminded through this miracle that the Lord sees us, cares about us, and wants to do something about our burdens. We are encouraged never to feel alone, never to lose hope, because He sees us, understands our situation, and He is moved by our burdens.
Second, we notice two human tendencies we have encountered in life. There is a “Philip Tendency” and an “Andrew Tendency.” Philip is the one who looked at the situation that Jesus pointed out and was resigned to it. He considered the situation of feeding people that evening a hopeless and impossible one. He didn’t think they had the resources to do anything about it. In life, we will encounter people like Philip who do not believe in miracles, who do not see possibility, who want to see all the pieces in place before they move their hand to do anything. A heightened awareness of the existence of such people in life or the existence of such a tendency in our own life is important so that we don’t fall to pessimism and discouragement.
On the other hand we have Andrew who was willing to take a leap of faith and place what was available in the hands of the Lord. In the face of a crowd of 5,000 starving people he let Jesus know that “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” Totally inadequate resources but he believed that where there is a will, there is a way. He believed that miracles are still possible.
Andrew is the kind of person who believes that where there is a will, there is going to be found a way. Even when all the odds are stacked up against them, when they see a need they say “let me see what I can do about it.” They are willing to take a leap of faith and simply let God do the rest. Our world has always been shaped by people with that kind of stubborn attitude, call it faith. Many companies or missions were started by people who did not wait to have all the answers before they got going or undertook a mission. They trusted God and worked with what they had.
Is there a project or a mission that you have been hesitant to take on because you don’t feel you have all the resources, skills, or time, or health, or spirituality? May we look at Andrew for inspiration. May we take a leap of faith and put whatever we have in God’s hands. May we trust in God to take the lead instead of trusting in ourselves.
Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C. is the President of Holy Cross Family Ministries. Father Fred, a native of Uganda, has multiple degrees including theology, philosophy, and communications. His native language is Lusoga and he speaks English, Luganda, Kiswahili, and Rutooro. He has been a teacher, researcher, author and family minister. Father Fred is committed to helping build God’s masterpiece one family at a time.
