In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Peaceful, Quiet and Serene.
These are the thoughts that came to mind as I prepared today’s message about this very well-known Bible passage because I have been to the actual spot where today’s miracle took place near the Sea of Galilee many times.
Entering the church that now covers the site where this miracle took place brings out an emotional response in most people because at that very site Jesus took a mere 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and He blessed them, broke them and fed a crowd of thousands.
This morning’s Bible reading comes from the Gospel of St. Matthew. There are some thirty-five miracles attributed to Jesus Christ throughout the Gospels. These miracles are recorded on purpose. Each one stands alone, but each one helps us understand the depth of God’s Love for each of us.
The people in Biblical days were attracted to what Jesus said but His reputation as a “Miracle Worker” preceded Him and they wanted Him to work His miracles in their lives as well to prove to them that He is the One Who the world has been waiting for since the beginning of time. So on occasion, He offered the crowds the reassurance they sought. All miracles show us the heart and the values and the compassion of God.
Let’s take a minute to look at this story. Jesus had spent the day with the largest crowd of people ever to gather around Him. They came to hear Him and see Him and hopefully, have the chance to touch him. He “had compassion on them and healed their sick,” it says. When evening arrived, the disciples came to Him and said, “Lord, this is a secluded place and the sun is setting, send the crowds away to go into the nearby villages and buy food for themselves before it becomes too dark.”
When Jesus heard their plan, His response back to them was very clear. “No one should go away from us hungry. You nourish their needs. You fill their hunger,” He said. The disciples were at a loss for what to do because they didn’t come prepared to feed thousands of people and so Jesus said to them, “Bring to me what you have.” They brought to Him food they received from a little boy in the crowd, 5 small loaves of bread and two small fish. “It isn’t possible to feed this large crowd with only this handful of food,” they told Him, but Jesus taught His disciples a very important lesson that day. He taught them that with God’s blessing everything is possible and 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish were enough to feed the hunger of everyone and even leave 12 baskets of leftovers. That is the miracle written about in today’s Bible lesson.
So, in light of this famous event, let’s ask ourselves, “What do you have to give to God?” For example, if you like to organize or help, use your skills to bring people closer to God. If you have a free moment, use it to build someone up. If you have time in your schedule, think about how God could use it. As we hand over these types of gifts to Him, He blesses them and returns them to us increased in ways we never would have imagined possible.
This is the message of today’s miracle. May we all find a way to turn over our gifts and talents to God so He may bless them as He did in today’s Bible story. May we all use those gifts to make a difference in the life of other people today and every day because we are all in this together. What gift do you have that God fan bless and multiply and help make our world a little bit better?
Amen.