Sunday, May 29, 2016

Reflection: Luke 9:11b-17


The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Luke 9:11b-17 

On the feast of Pentecost, Jesus spoke to the crowds of people about the kingdom of God and healed many people who longed to be well again.  As evening drew near, His disciples came to Jesus and they encouraged Him to dismiss the people so they could go to the nearby towns, villages, and farms and find food and lodging for the night.

Rather than allowing the disciples to dismiss the crowds, Jesus told them: “Give them some food yourselves.”  The disciples said: “All we have is five loaves of bread and two fish.  This small amount of food will never be enough for all these people!”  Luke wrote: “Now the men numbered about five thousand.” He didn’t say how many women and children also were present.

Jesus instructed the disciples to get everyone seated in groups of fifty or so.  Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and the two small fish.  Then He looked up to heaven and then blessed the bread and the fish, broke them and then gave them to his disciples to give to the people.  As we know, everyone ate their fill and there were twelve wicker baskets filled with the leftovers!

In our world today, there are many people who are hungry: hungry for food, hungry for affection, hungry for peace, hungry for silence.  Do we notice the people in our lives who are hungry?  If so, do we strive to nurture them with our love, care, and solace or do we ignore them and pretend that they are not in need? 

Today Jesus tells us, his disciples in our world today: “Give these people some food, love, and care.” Be attentive to the needs of the people around you and in our world.  Share the gifts of your time, talent and treasure with these individuals.  If we do so, Jesus will recognize us as His disciples!

No comments:

Post a Comment