Luke 9: 11-17
When the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God, and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and country round about, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a lonely place." But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish -- unless we are to go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each." And they did so, and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Questions for Reflection and/or Discussion
Recently my daughter and I discussed this Eucharistic miracle. We cut out two fish and five loaves of bread from construction paper and spread them on the floor. We discussed how even those seven pieces of food would never fill twelve baskets, but yet the scraps from the leftovers of God's generosity did that day fill twelve baskets. God is so incredibly generous with us! How many times are we amazed at the blessings that fall into our lap when we least expect them?!
My husband recently took a long road trip, and along the way, his car broke down. Well, actually, he stopped at the nearest exit when he realized he was not going to reach his destination. The gas station he found was the only one in the small rural town. Across the street was the only mechanic in that small rural town. He discussed his options with that mechanic and by phone with our mechanic back home. We ultimately decided it was best to abandon the car, the repairs needed being more than the worth of the vehicle. And, lo and behold, the only rental car place in a two hour radius was the little garage across the street from the gas station where he was in that small rural town! We could hardly believe it! To top that, once he got the rental car, about twenty miles down the road was a huge accident where they closed the freeway, and he sat or crawled for about an hour to get through it. We imagine that the car would have died in that traffic jam, causing even more trouble.
God-incidences are what my husband calls these moments, and for us they define God's generosity, which is what this Sunday is all about. Jesus almost seems incredulous when he tells the disciples to feed the people instead of going into town for food. They must have been incredulous at his insistence, as well. How many times does God ask something of us that amazes us? How many times does God amaze us if we take that blind leap of faith?
When was the last time I took a leap of faith with true faith? What was the result? If I shy from leaping, do I know friends or family who have stories of leaps of faith? How can I increase my faith?
The Eucharist is plentiful and has ALL the grace we could ever need. Do I look forward to Sunday Mass each week (and/or daily Mass)? Do I thank God for that Eucharistic bounty? They say the love of a mother and a father expand to love each child more and more. Do I remember loving my first child with all of my being? If I have other children, do I love them equally as much? Of course! God is the same! He loves each of us the same, the saints and the sinners! Do I acknowledge God's love and ask him for specific requests in complete faith that He will answer my prayers?
This week share stories with others of God's generosity, not to brag but to glorify Him and remind everyone you meet that ALL of our blessings come from God, the most important being His Body and Blood at the Eucharistic banquet!
