At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of
Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others.
They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when
they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the
blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My
heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for
three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for
fear they may collapse on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where could we
ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” Jesus
said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few
fish.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven
loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the
disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were
satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.
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Reflection:
What do you do when you see the poor? Do
you go out of your way to give them something to alleviate their hunger?
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My
heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for
three days and have nothing to eat.”
Try closing your eyes and imagine that
you’re with the disciples and meditate on these profound words of Jesus,
imagine that the Lord is saying these words to you. Did you discern that Jesus is
telling you to be His instrument in feeding and helping those who have nothing
in life?
In these hard times where hunger is
commonplace because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jesus is also telling us that:
“Your heart should also be moved with pity for those who are poor and hungry.
For those who have nothing in life, for those who are being oppressed and for those
who are weak and abandoned.
It’s easy to say I will help or do
something to help the poor and hungry. But the real test of discipleship is not
with words. The real test is when we act and do something which are concrete and
tangible. Let us not be afraid to help because this is what the Lord wants us
to do. Let us also not worry because whatever help we give for as long as we
give it from the heart will come back to us in manifold ways.
Have you already extended help to the poor
and hungry during this time of Covid-19 pandemic? – Marino J. Dasmarinas