Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14, 13-21
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, 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.”
He 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.
You must give
1) Calm and secluded. Jesus seeks his moment and his space. We must also look for our moment and space, to get away from the everyday hustle and stress. We cannot be rushing around forever. Find a moment in the day to talk to God, but also to find yourself again. You have to be able to separate yourself from everything around you, which can require some sacrifice. Maybe you can wake up a few minutes earlier and take time to sit alone, have a cup of coffee, and talk to God or listen to a guided meditation. Seek to separate yourself from everything to meet God and yourself. Don’t allow your daily activities and worries to separate you from God and from yourself.
2) Dismiss them. It is the suggestion given by the apostles. There are times when we look for comfort and convenience. However, when we stay in our comfort zone and let others do things for us, this leads us to forget that Christians are called to give their best! So if we can help, let’s help! Let’s give a hand and selfless service. Today, as we start the week, it is good to help others, even if it is something as simple as sweeping the floor, without having someone else ask you to do so.
3) There was more than enough. When God works together with us, he can touch many hearts. Do not be afraid of challenges; feeding so many people was a challenge. Learn to trust God and yourself. Be like a skydiver. It is not that skydivers are not afraid to jump out of planes, but they summon the courage to take on the challenge and jump out of the plane by trusting God, themselves, and their parachute. You must trust God, yourself, and your own parachute. That parachute can be anything, your wife, your husband, your children. You must ask yourself who your parachute is. Who is it that helps you fall with courage, when facing life’s challenges?
God bless you and be with you, in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Do not forget that Heaven is our goal!
