August 01, 2016

St. Alphonsus Liguori

Mt 14: 13-21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

Start with What You Have

Jesus could have made a feast appear magically out of nowhere, but he didn’t. He started with the food that was on hand: the loaves and fishes. From that he created a miraculous feast. And when the people had finished eating, there was much food left over.

St. Ignatius would tell us to begin where we are, with what we have. Whatever we possess comes to us through God’s mercy and abundance. We express gratitude for those few loaves and fishes, and we share them through compassion to help others. The miracle happens within the mundane, which we energize with faith and generosity.

What do I have today that might be the beginning of a miracle?

—Vinita Wright serves as Managing Editor, New Product Development at Loyola Press, Chicago, IL.

Prayer

Lord, show me the gifts I already have.
Stimulate in me a sincere thankfulness for my life.
Please use the energy of my God-given passions to
extend love and grace to people I encounter.

—Vinita Wright