Brothers and Sisters,
In this Sunday’s Gospel from John, a large crowd follows Jesus to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus wonders to Philip about how to feed such a large amount of people. Philip is unsure, but Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, tells Jesus about a boy who is willing to share his five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus then multiplies the five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 men plus women and children, with 12 wicker baskets left over. The people are amazed and proclaim Jesus to be “the Prophet” for whom they have been waiting. The multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all four gospels.
Our Lord wants us to play a part in His miracle. God has the power of creating something out of nothing, but He asks for human collaboration, even if it is minimal. Here it is no different. The Apostles are utterly poor as they can bring to Jesus only five loaves and two fish from a boy they find in the crowd. Jesus asks us to contribute, because He wants to teach us to be generous, even when we think we have nothing to give. It is when we give from our want that we most please Our Lord. Our insufficiency is never an excuse for lack of generosity in serving and working for Our Lord. This miracle proves to us that Our Lord can never be outdone in generosity. We only need to bring Our Lord whatever we have without reservation, no matter how small that may be and trust that He will use it and multiply it for His purpose.
God Bless,
Deacon Howard
