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Gospel: John 6: 1-15
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
One of his disciples,
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?”
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
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.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“What good are five loaves and two fish for so many?” (John 6:9)
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Phillip and Andrew are suffering from a terrible case of pessimism. They don’t yet understand the depths of Christ’s power to multiply, transform, and save.
So, when they look upon the crowd of five thousand, they believe there’s simply no way to feed them. What they have is not enough.
Yet, five loaves and two fish are all the Lord needs.
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How often do we feel like the disciples?
We feel like what we have to offer the Lord, his Church, or other people isn’t worth much. We lack the time, the energy, or the resources to make a big splash.
Yet the Lord reminds us that nothing is insignificant when placed into his hands – the widow’s mite, an affirming word, an earnest prayer, a phone call “check-in,” a visit to the sick – is at time all he needs.
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So, what do I have to offer the Lord and his people?
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Who knows, it just may feed the masses.
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Image credits: (1) QuoteFancy, Horace Busnell (2) RogerEvansonline.com, WordPress (3) YouTube, Bora, My Journey 4:32