Reflection
“Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?” the apostles asked. Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’
Both questions are illustrative.
The first mirrors so many situations we too have in our lives – “how can I overcome this?” “What can I do?”
The apostles’ question speaks to the many situations where, like them, we all reach out for solutions – perhaps to be provided by an outside source. solutions to issues or problems that seem beyond us. We often know the dimensions of the problem and can describe them well enough – the size of the crowd, the isolation of the place, the actual solution (bread) and a means to achieve a result (buying bread). What we often cannot do is find a starting point or the motivation to act.
Jesus’ question in response to the apostles points us not to outside sources, but to our own deep inner and/personal capacity and resources.
That might be the first lesson. Trust in your own inner and innate ability; God does.
The second lesson today might be that compassion is contagious. When Jesus states, “I don’t want to send them away hungry”, he reveals a heart that feels, a life that emphasises and recognises people’s needs, both material and spiritual. Jesus verbalises his own feelings for the crowds, and this in turn sparks concern in the apostles.
Thus, two tenets for our spiritual growth emerge from the scene today.
Jesus wants to nourish us. His life is eternally dedicated to our well-being and life. That is his mission.
Jesus wants to nourish us. His life is eternally dedicated to our well-being and life. That is his mission.
We have the capacity, no matter how humble our resources, to nourish others. If we allow compassion to drive our actions, we will care for and nourish others. That’s our share in Christ’s mission.
In God’s dream, these two realities – the gift of Jesus and our compassionate discipleship – blend by a fusion-like power into actions that can nourish multitudes.
