29 July 2018 - what use is so little

Today's Readings (Audio)

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?" 

Don't we often feel this way? Isn't there often too much to be done while we have too few resources to do it? No matter whether we think of physically our spiritually hungry the task of feeding them seems monumental when we consider what we have to offer.

But his servant objected,
"How can I set this before a hundred people?" 

We cannot magically change our deficiencies to excesses. This process always, by design, passes through humility where we realize our poverty as well as that of others. We experience that poverty and yet the Spirit pleads with us to not give up. He shows us to bring what little we have before Jesus.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted. 

Jesus transforms our deficiencies. He uses what we have, even though it is too little, so that there is more than enough to go around. This is how the Church is built.

So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments 
from the five barley loaves
that had been more than they could eat. 

There is always more than enough, even though humanly there is never enough. It only works if we bring our meager efforts before Jesus.

We are called to feed the crowds. We are called to recognize and sympathize with their hunger. But we cannot do it on our own. Only humility enables us to work together.

I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:

Just as it is the Spirit who gives each of us gifts so too does he have a plan for how all the gifts are meant to work together in the building up of the body. If we secretly believe we have enough on our own we won't care to listen to his direction. So we must be humble. Only then is the hope of our call realized.

The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.