The feeding of the 5000+ is one of my favorite Biblical stories. It mirrors earlier years when God fed the Israelites in the desert with Manna, and it also mirrors the Eucharist we celebrate where the Lord feeds us and satisfies our deepest "hungers."
Every time we reflect on Biblical stories, it is important to insert ourselves in the stories and pay attention to the different characters in the story. What are the different people in the story doing? What do they say? What do they do? What are their reactions to the different situations? There is a lot packed in there.
In this story we see Philip who was the practical man. He looked at the size of the crowd, did some mental calculation and told Jesus that it would require an impossible sum of money to bring in enough food to feed the mammoth crowd. It was simply impossible to do anything about the situation. Andrew on the other hand told Jesus that there was a boy with a couple of fish and bread, but what was available was so inadequate to have any impact. Then we have the young boy who surrendered his small, packed lunch to Jesus for the good of everyone.
Giving Small Things
You and I have heard it said repeatedly that when we put what we have in His hands, He has the ability to multiply it, and the results are surprising even to us. Many times, we are held back by a sense of inadequacy. This feeling that we don’t have what it takes to have any impact in terms of talent, time, and treasure. When we learn to put whatever level of talent, treasure, time, or level of health we have in the hands of Jesus, He can multiply it. You don’t need too much time to stay briefly behind after a Church function to stack chairs or help clean up. You don’t need too much to donate $10 or $15 to the Church’s mission work. All of that contributes to the overall work of God. Never be afraid to put whatever little you have into God’s hands. He can use it in ways that will always surprise us.
Good Stewards
After feeding the crowd, the Lord told the people to gather all the leftovers so that nothing would go to waste. We live in a culture where there is so much wastage. There is so much throw away of food, clothing, shoes, etc. We need to be better stewards of the blessings God has given us. Let’s learn to train ourselves on how much we purchase, and if we have way more than we need, to train ourselves to share especially with those who don’t have or have less than what they need. There are several opportunities for us to share with others such as the St Vincent De Paul Society, My Brothers Keeper, Salvation Army Stores, Goodwill Stores. Gather everything and do not let anything go to waste.
May we ask the Lord to teach us what it means to trust in Divine Providence – the belief that God will take care of each one of us and all our needs. May we ask the Lord to train us on how to be good stewards of what he has given us especially through the practice of charity. More importantly, may the Lord renew our love for the Eucharist.
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