Gospel Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." He said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." Then he said, "Bring them here to me," and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over– twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.
Reflection
Give and Receive
Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes through His disciples' instrumentality, demonstrating that God often uses us as mediators of His superabundant graces given to others. This demonstrates that God often uses us as mediators of His mercy through others. When we are given the bread, we should first eat it ourselves before giving it away. This approach helps us avoid selfishness and the temptation to only offer mercy to others after our needs are met.
Spiritually, the same is true with us when we receive spiritual nourishment from our Lord. We must first see all that we receive from God as an opportunity to bestow those blessings upon others. This is the nature of grace, which is given to give it to others. For example, a sense of peace or joy within our hearts should be immediately offered to others. Spiritual insight into the Scriptures should be given to us first and foremost to share with others. Reflecting on the actions of the disciples and the bread, we should see ourselves in this miracle as a symbol of every grace we receive from God. We should seek to give away what we have received, as the nature of grace is to give it to others. By doing this with every spiritual gift we receive, we will find that the graces multiply to the point that we receive more than we could ever imagine. In conclusion, Jesus' miracle demonstrates the power of God's grace and mercy to multiply through our acts of generosity. By using our hearts as instruments, we can use our gifts to feed others and share the blessings of God.
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