18 SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
IN HIS HAND EVERYTHING IS PLENTY

For our reflection, this weekend we have a great story of God’s caring and compassionate love। Jesus communicated this message though the miraculous feeding of the crowd.

Before He began His public life, Jesus spent forty days in the desert praying and fasting। He felt hungry. Saten tempted him, saying,”You have the power to perform miracle. Why can’t you change these stones into bread and eat?” Jesus rejected the wisdom of Satan. He refused to use his god given power to satisfy his needs. However, as we heard from today’s Gospel reading, when Jesus saw the crowd in the desert and realized that they had nothing to eat, He used his power to perform a miracle. He multiplied bread and fed the crowd. Jesus used His God given gifts and talents for the good of others. This underscore the basic Christian principle: We are here for others and we belong to one another.

Even though Jesus had the ability to do it alone; however, he used the help of his disciples। He asked their fair share. Jesus asked them: Bring to me whatever you have. Jesus wants to do the same today. Our community has several needs. Community does not have gifts, only individuals. No single individual has all the gifts. Together we have more than what we need.

Often time we think, we do not have enough। At times, we refused to take the initiative thinking that the problems are too huge and it is beyond our reach. God do not expect us to solve the problem alone. He is there for our help. God expects us to offer whatever we have. Nothing is too little in His hand. Five loaves of bread is more than enough to feed five thousand. “In his hand water is wine”.

“With God we are somebody, without God we are nobody” St. Therese. “Nothing is impossible with God” John the Evangelist. Let us ask this question: What are my gifts and talents? How am I using it? Am I afraid of failure?