“When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, ‘This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.’ [Jesus] said to them, ‘There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.’ But they said to him, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.’ Then he said, ‘Bring them here to me,’ and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.” (Mt. 14:13-21 NABRE)
We frequently catch ourselves feeling stressed and overwhelmed worrying about money, paying our bills, planning for the future, and providing for ourselves and our families. How often have we pushed and overworked ourselves, picked up more hours, managed to cut out certain bills and expenses, taken higher paying jobs, and still continued to think and worry about money? Sometimes it feels like the bills just keep rolling in.
Consider the situation the disciples had found themselves in. There were thousands upon thousands of people present before them and Jesus was asking them to feed everyone.
Imagine the immediate doubt and worry they would have experienced wondering how they could possibly provide for such a crowd.
We must follow the example of the disciples who took their concerns directly to Jesus, telling Him what very little they had in their possession and trusting in Him to take care of them and all of the people present.
Jesus responded to their faith by providing more than enough food for everyone there. This was something that seemed impossible in the eyes of the disciples, and yet, Jesus made it possible. Jesus provided for and took care of His disciples and the immense crowd of people.
May we also always trust in our Lord to provide for us. When we turn to Him and have faith in Him, as in today’s Gospel, Jesus will not only provide us with the bare minimum of what we need, He will provide us with more than we need.
“If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” (Mt. 7:11)
Thank you for this very reassuring message for difficult situations!
My grandparents raised 5 boys during the Depression. In addition my grandfather insisted that every homeless person and family that crossed their path be given food and allowed to sleep in their barn as they traveled through looking for work. By the love of the Lord all were fed even when my grandmother did not have enough for her family. They even had left overs.