Mark 6:34-44
When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with
pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to
teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached
him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy
themselves something to eat." He said to them in reply, "Give them
some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Are we to buy two
hundred days´ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?" He asked
them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had
found out they said, "Five loaves and two fish." So he gave orders to
have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places
in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two
fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave
them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish
among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up 12 wicker
baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the
loaves were 5,000 men.
* * *
Introductory Prayer: Lord I am nothing without you in my
mission. I believe that there is no difficulty in deepening my union with you
that cannot be overcome. I want to know and see with greater clarity that your
hand moves mine. You make possible what would otherwise be impossible.
Petition: Lord,
increase my confidence and dependence on you.
1. “His Heart Was Moved with Pity for Them, for
They Were like Sheep Without a Shepherd”: A heart that loves expands to meet the
needs of those it loves. None could love as perfectly as Christ. Will I let
Christ move me in this prayer to see what he sees, suffer what he suffers, and
love what he loves? Who will teach the vast numbers of those who are lost,
especially the young? Who will console the sorrowing who fight the pervasive
darkness of despair, and guide with fidelity the hungry souls ready for the
fullness of God’s truth? Who can make present the power of the Shepherd to heal
and stay the force of evil in so many dark corners of the world? If I open my
heart to see what Christ sees, I will follow everyday what he asks of me to
remedy a broken world that needs salvation.
2. Give
Them Some Food Yourselves: Our Lord insists that we be active
protagonists in tackling the most difficult problems in the world. Many only
sigh at the world’s miseries as if to say, “Lord, you have a problem. I will
pray for them.” Christ looks back and says to us, “This is your mission now. I
put it in your hands.” Will we panic? Will we wonder where we will get the
time, the resources, the wisdom? Will we imagine ourselves making it all
happen? Our Lord asks us to take responsibility, but he does not want us taking
control. There is a difference: One is the steward in the mission—us; the other
the owner—God. Taking responsibility means making the needs of souls and the
Church our own. Not taking control means we never lose sight of the one who
controls the plan. I want to do it his way, and not mine.
3. How Many
Loaves Do You Have? When Christ chooses us for a mission, he
does not select us because he thinks we have what it takes, but rather because
he knows he will give us all that we need. Sometimes we are faced with goals
that are real, yet beyond our power to accomplish. Anxiety––thinking we need to
be superhuman before a superhuman endeavor––inserts all sorts of complexes into
the human spirit: shutting down, feeling overwhelmed, uncontrolled anger,
unjustly limiting our field of action. What does Christ ask when we face the
impossible? Just give what we have––give it all and don’t hold back. Put all
our loaves and fishes on the table, and then Christ will work. Believe in the
power of our poor nothingness united to Christ.
Conversation
with Christ:
Lord, I believe in the power of my nothingness united to your power and
grace. Today I accept the challenge of the mission before me, but only if I
take each step depending on you. With you every burden is sweet, and every
impossible task is a new encounter with the power of your hand.
Resolution: I will stop
sometime in the middle of the day to spiritually place what I am doing into Christ’s
hands.