Daily Reflection – 1/7/20
Sacred Scripture
When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.( Mark 6:34-44)
Reflection
Today’s Gospel is one of the most familiar. Of all the miracles Jesus performed, this is the only one that appears in all four gospels. There are two dimensions that I think are worth exploring for their application in our lives.
We know that the miraculous feeding of such a great multitude pointed to God’s provision of manna in the wilderness for the people of Israel. This food foreshadowed the true heavenly bread which Jesus would offer his followers. Jesus makes a claim only God can make: He is the true bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience. The feeding of the five thousand shows the remarkable generosity of God and his great kindness towards us. In the multiplication of the loaves and fishes we see a sign and a symbol of what God always does. When God gives, he gives abundantly. He gives more than we need for ourselves that we may have something to share with others, especially those who lack what they need. God takes the little we have and multiplies it for the good of others. Reflecting on that thought, each of us needs to ask ourselves: Do we truly trust in God’s provision for us and do we share freely with others, especially those who lack?
But there is still another side to this Gospel. Today, each of us must make it our constant desire to live life to the full! To receive grace upon grace! This is what the Lord seeks from us. To take us, break us and distribute us to others. What he did with the meager scraps he gathered together; he wishes to do with each of us.!
We know that if we give our lives to the Lord, he can divide and multiply it. We know that the Lord can do amazing things through us. We all know that the Lord is waiting with great anticipation for that day when each of us decides to give him the gift of our lives and give it to him so that he can give it to others. We know what it takes: faith, hope and love. The Lord provides his grace; we only need to respond to it. “The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.” Today, he demands even more. To influence the lives of all the people we meet, to be able to say: I wish, I desire, I hunger to be a gift to others. With Him, all things are possible; nothing is ever wasted.
Prayer of The Day
Lord Jesus Christ, you satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts and you feed us with the finest of wheat. Fill me with gratitude for your blessings and give me a generous heart that I may freely share with others what you have given to me.
Daily Note
The willingness to do something, no matter how little, the readiness to give something, no matter how small, can bear rich fruit. The Lord can take our giving, no matter how small, and work powerfully through it. Imagine the effect we would have on the world if we each gave ourselves willingly to God to be used for His purpose rather than ours.
