Give Them Some Food Yourselves

"Give Them Some Food Yourselves"

Among the many profound lessons found in this Sunday's Scriptures, one sentence from today's Gospel deserves our prayerful attention. It is only a few words long, yet it has the potential to change everything... and for the better.

"There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." (Matthew 14:16)

Imagine the disciples' reaction. They looked out upon thousands of hungry people gathered in a barren place. They saw scarcity where Jesus saw possibility. They counted what they lacked while Jesus focused upon what God could accomplish through willing and trusting hearts.

Isn't that often our reaction as well?

When confronted with the overwhelming needs of our world and ourselves — the poor, the lonely, the sick, the forgotten, the homeless, those suffering from war, violence, addiction, despair, and spiritual emptiness — we are tempted to say, "What can I possibly do? The problem is simply too great."

Yet Jesus refuses to let His disciples walk away. Instead, He invites them into a miracle.

The Gospel is not merely about the multiplication of loaves and fish and a miraculous feeding. It is the story of ordinary disciples placing their limited gifts into the hands of Christ, who transforms them into an abundance that satisfies every heart. Before the miracle comes an act of trust. Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks, blesses it, breaks it, and shares it. We hear the very words of the consecration. In those simple actions we recognize the pattern of every Eucharist.

The miracle points us to the Bread of Life, but it also reminds us that the Eucharist is never meant to end when Mass concludes. Having received the Body of Christ, we are sent forth to become the Body of Christ.... for others.

The prophet Isaiah echoes this same invitation today: "Come to the water, all you who are thirsty... Come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk." (Isaiah 55:1)

God's generosity knows no limits. His grace cannot be purchased or earned. It is freely given so that it may be freely shared. We are nourished not only for our own salvation but for the life of the world.

The Second Reading from the Letter to the Romans offers still another reason for our confidence. St. Paul reminds us that no hunger, hardship, persecution, distress, or any power on earth "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." We may sometimes feel inadequate before the needs of others, but we never serve alone. The same Lord who multiplied five loaves and two fish continues to multiply every act of generosity born of faith. When we place our lives into His hands, He always provides more than enough — not only for us, but for all those whom He entrusts to our care.

Christ takes what seems so little, blesses it, multiplies it, and places it in the service of His Kingdom. The miracle still happens today whenever disciples refuse to send people away empty and instead become instruments of God's compassionate love and generosity.

Perhaps the question each of us should carry home this Sunday is this: Whom is Jesus asking me to feed?

Is there someone in my own family who hungers for forgiveness? A neighbor who longs for friendship? A lonely parishioner who needs a visit? A struggling parent who needs encouragement? A child or teen who needs guidance? A person who simply needs someone willing to listen? Or perhaps someone who is searching for God and waiting for another servant-disciple to invite them to the table of the Lord.

Jesus never asks us to solve every problem in the world. He simply asks us not to send people away. He asks us to place into His hands whatever little we have — our time, our compassion, our talents, our generosity, our faith — and allow Him to do the rest.

We are called, we are blessed, we are sent, Father Skip – Pastor

St. Teresa of Avila beautifully reminds us: "Christ has no body now on earth but yours." "No hands, no feet on earth but yours." "Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world." "Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good." "Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world." "Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body." "Christ has no body now on earth but yours."