Mark 6:34-44
The first statement in this Gospel is a very powerful one. It speaks of Jesus’ love and compassion for the people who gathered to hear Him preach. Mark writes: “When Jesus saw the crowds of people who gathered around Him, He was moved with pity.” Jesus realized that they truly were sheep without a shepherd. They had no one to care for them or to lead them.
As evening drew near, Jesus’ disciples suggested that He send the crowds of people away. They realized that the people were hungry and they did not have enough food to feed them. Jesus was preaching in a deserted place and evening was approaching. The disciples suggested to Jesus that He send the people to the surrounding villages or farms where they could get some food to eat. The disciples did not have enough money to supply food for all these people.
Surprisingly, Jesus asks His disciples how many loaves of bread they have. After checking, they tell Jesus that they only have 5 loaves of bread and 2 little fish. Jesus then tells them to have the people sit down in groups. The scene that follows is a foreshadowing of the sacrament of Eucharist: Jesus quietly takes the five loaves and the two fish, blesses them and breaks them. Then He gives the bread and fish to His disciples to distribute. The people ate until they were satisfied and surprisingly, there were several baskets of food left over.
At times in life, we also may doubt that we have sufficient strength, courage, patience or hope to continue our journey These are the moments when we need to turn to Jesus and ask Him for the grace to trust that we do have enough of what we need. Our limited supply of strength, faith, hope, (you fill in the blank) may seem so very small. Yet God has the ability to work wonders with just a little bit! The key is to stay connected to God and we will have what we need when we need it! Ask yourself: what do you need right now?
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