Matthew 14:16
Jesus said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves."
At mass yesterday when the gospel started I quickly recognized the story , the loaves and the fish, and thought that I have heard this story a million times. But during the homily the priest gave me a whole new way of thinking about this miracle.
The disciples came to Jesus and told him that the people needed to eat so he should let them go into the villages to eat. Jesus is not going to send the people away but instead of feeding them himself he tells the disciples to feed them. The disciples gathered the food that they had, brought it to Jesus and then distributed it to the people. Jesus did not feed the people by himself but through the actions of the disciples.
There is so much that we can learn from this. There are so many people who are hungry in the world. They are hungry for many things; food, shelter, knowledge and most importantly (but often forgotten) love. God is calling us, his disciples, to feed these people. We have his graces and his blessings. He will work through us but he is calling us to do the actions.
So often I pray to God for someone who is in need of something. In today's gospel I heard him call me to feed them. We have to continue to pray because it is through God that all things are done and we have to hear his calling for us to feed those who are hungry through him.
Dear Lord, Help me to feed those who are hungry.
