The hand of the Lord feeds us; He answers all our needs.
- Psalm 145: 15-16
On Friday, July 22, I attended the Pirates/Cardinals game with my brother and two nephews who were in from Greensboro, NC. They distributed Pirate tee-shirts that evening and there was a standing-room-only crowd of 38,490 people. After a half-hour rain delay and flashes of lightening, the fans settled in for the Friday night game. My nephews Daniel Patrick, 8, and Alex Pace, 5, inevitably asked, “When are we going to eat?” Their dad’s response was, “You can only eat after you find your seat.” We found our way up to Section 310, Row M, on the first base side only to find out that the healthy food is at the lower level. Those in the upper level had to settle for pizza or hot dogs. Then I thought to myself, “Wonder how many hot dogs, nachos and Cokes will be consumed at PNC Park tonight at PNC Park?” Not to mention the Starbursts and Skittles purchased from vendors outside. (Of course the kids wanted cotton candy and Dippin’ Dots, as well.) Although the Pirates lost that night, I treasured the time together with my brother and nephews.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that there are 925 million people, that is, approximately 1 in every 7 persons, who are hungry in our world -- in Asia and the Pacific (578 million), in Sub-Sahara Africa (239 million), in Latin America and the Caribbean (53 million), in the North East and North Africa (37 million), and 19 million in developed countries. The number of malnourished people and those who go hungry is staggering.
Mother Theresa fed 9,000 people every day in Calcutta, India, but she could never have done it without the generosity of countless people across the world, the assistance of her sisters, the Missionaries of Charity, and lay helpers. In our Catholic tradition, feeding hungry bodies is one of the corporal works of mercy. No doubt, Jesus was concerned about the well-being of those who were hungry. The miracle of the loaves and the fishes is found in all four Gospels. And it involved a lot more than just giving food to people. It was an expression of the care and the love of God for His people. Jesus did not just feed people’s bodies, He nourished their minds, their hearts, their souls and their spirits.
In some countries today, there is a problem of over-eating and over-consumption where food is plentiful, supermarkets are bulging, fast-food establishments are common place. In other countries, the problem is getting anything to eat at all. And the gulf between the “have” and “have-nots” gets ever wider. Mother Theresa would often comment that the problem with the world is that we have forgotten that we belong to one another. That we are all God’s children, and sisters and brothers of Jesus to one another. It is our native American brothers and sisters who would often say that we can’t really understand another person until we walk in his or her moccasins. The late Fr. Henri Nouwen would say, “The necessary virtue that we must all embrace is that of empathy.” I’ve heard it said that God gave us two hands — one for giving and the other for receiving.
The prophet Isaiah in 55: 1-3 invites us to “Come!” Four times he uses the word. He says, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water. You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, Drink wine and milk ... Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life.” Isaiah repeatedly invites us to come, which foreshadows the hospitality and welcome of Jesus Himself. This invitation is to real life, to share an eternal relationship, an eternal friendship and an everlasting covenant with the Lord.
As a people of faith, we come to the Eucharist each Sunday to be nourished with the Word of God and the Bread of Life. As we partake of the Bread of Life on earth, God has invited us to partake of the banquet of eternal life in heaven. In the Holy Eucharist we taste the love of God. And the proof that we have experienced that love is our willingness to share love with others. As in the miracle of the loaves and fishes, each one of us has been given “five loaves and two fish." It may seem a small amount and we can only give in small ways, but through the amazing grace of God and our willingness to share with others, others will be drawn into the circle of His ever expanding love. It is through our simple gestures of love, compassion and kindness that we are drawn closer to Jesus and ourselves. Bread and fish was the basic diet for poor Galileans, peasant fisher-folk of the 1st century Israel. This miracle of the loaves and the fishes is much more than giving food to a hungry, desperate crowd. It is the expression of the care and love of God for His people. Through the celebration of the Eucharist, we are refreshed and renewed so that we can recommit ourselves to Christ and feed others His love.
Recently, while making a visit to the hospital, I met a man sitting in a wheelchair at the entrance doors along with his son. The man asked for a blessing and then asked if I had Holy Communion. We prayed the Lord’s Prayer together, and he, with a sunburst smile, remarked, “It’s a Jesus Day! A perfect day! To receive Jesus makes each day complete.” Would that we had such simple and profound faith. Yes, the Eucharist is the act of giving and receiving, being transformed into the community of Christ’s living body. The Lord can do a lot with a little, a miracle of love.
Poor me, we say, I’m so old, so young, so middle aged.
Poor me, I’m so ordinary, so deprived, so deficient.
Poor me, I’m so weak, so tired, so inferior.
Poor me, I’m a sinner.
But "poor me" is not an excuse for inaction.
In fact, it lies at the very core of my discipleship.
"Poor me" is the really reason I need a Savior in the first place!
Say not: "Poor me!"
Say instead: "Poor me, I need Jesus!"
Lucky me, I’ve got Him!
— Sr. Melanie Svoboda, SND
