|
|
Fr. Bob's Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
|
And, Jesus says, "Give them some food yourselves." The
disciples protested, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have." Jesus
said, "Bring them to me." As always with the gospels, there is a lesson
for us.
|
The first is found in Jesus' directions to His
disciples when they are faced with an overwhelming situation. He says to
give them food yourselves. Somewhat embarrassed, they hold up a few
loaves and fishes and shrug their shoulders. Jesus takes the food and
blesses the little they have to offer. But then, rather than hand out
the loaves and fishes Himself, He returns them to the disciples who are
told to distribute them to the crowd. This is the first lesson from the
gospel. God depends on us to take part in the aid and redemption of the
world.
|
Three times a week at the corner in New York City a
blind lady stands at the bus stop. She climbs aboard the bus and is
warmly greeted by the driver. She sits down right behind him. In fact,
he had saved the seat. They carry on an animated conversation as he
drives. She asks how his family is. Then she tells him she is scared
about losing Meals‑on‑Wheels. When they reach the blind woman's stop,
the driver helps her off the bus. Then he helps her access the other
side of the street in heavy traffic. When he returns to the bus, the
woman is still standing where he had left her. "She won't move till she
knows I got back safely", he explains. He honks his horn three times and
she smiles and waves.
|
A blind lady and a lowly bus driver, two insignificant
people on the world stage, had hardly five loaves and two fish between
them. Yet, Christ blessed what they had and handed it back to them. Each
made a contribution from what little they had. They could have cursed
and complained that they had so little and withheld their meager gifts.
But, instead they fed each other from their small store of compassion
and caring. Jesus tells His disciples, "Bring them, bring the
insignificant loaves and fish to me and do not back off. Do not say it
is too little, what can we do? I know the problems are great and your
resources are tiny, but don't give up. Bring them to me to be blessed."
|
A man wrote to Ann Landers. He had lived through the
Depression in the 1930's. His message was that kids today have an easy
time of it compared to teens of his day. A teen responded to his letter
and she wrote ‑ "Let me ask your generation a few questions. Were your
parents divorced? Almost every one of my friends comes from a broken
home. Were you thinking of suicide when you were twelve? Did you have an
ulcer when you were sixteen? Did your classmates carry guns and knives?
How many of your classmates came to school high on drugs or drunk? Did
your school have armed security guards in the halls? What percentage of
your graduating class also graduated from a drug and alcohol rehab
center?" She ends by saying, "When I am your age, I won't be looking
back. I'll just thank God I survived." With so many temptations to face,
some parents wonder, "What are we to do? We have nothing but five
loaves and two fish?"
|
That might be the response of someone trying to make
an honest living. The pressures to cut corners, the "Everyone is doing
it" philosophy, cutthroat competition and office politics sap energy and
spirit. How can one be a Christian in the workplace? They have all the
power. I just have bread and fish. That might also be the response of a
spouse desperately trying to make a go of a troubled marriage, who has
grown weary of being the only partner working on the relationship. The
other partner is never around and when they are home, their mind is
elsewhere. The spouse says sadly, "There is nothing left in this
marriage but five loaves and two fish." Many people today have cares,
anxieties and sorrows. They ask, "What are we to do?"
|
That was the response of the disciples when five
thousand plus people followed Jesus into the desert. Remember Jesus'
reply, "You give them something to eat" and the disciples protested,
"How? We have nothing but five loaves and two fish." Jesus then says,
"Bring them to me." He looked up to Heaven and blessed and broke the
loaves. He gave them to the disciples who gave them to the crowd and all
were fed. What is the lesson here?
|
For those at their wits end and stuck with just five
loaves and two fish in the face of overwhelming hunger, the lesson is to
realize that they have a friend. The friend who says, "Bring them to
me, bring me your skills and weaknesses, bring me your strengths and
fears, bring me your children and their futures. What little you have,
bring them to me and I will make them adequate for the task. Bring them
all to me. Bring me your hopes, your dreams, your convictions, your
burdens, your challenges, your responsibilities and your hurts."
|
You see when life gets the best of us, perhaps, it is
often because we focus too much on how little we can do and too little
on how much Christ can do. In any case, know that He will have the last
word. He says, "Don't try to avoid your cross, pick it up and carry it.
Don't carry it to Calvary, just bring it to me."
|
Yours in Christ,
|
|
Fr. Robert Warren, S.A.
|
Spiritual Director
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment