“I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now
have nothing to eat. If I send them to their homes hungry, they will faint on the way;
some of them have come a long way.” His disciples replied, “Where, in a deserted place
like this, could we get enough bread to feed these people?” He asked them, “How many
loaves have you?” And they answered, “Seven.” Then he ordered the crowd to sit down
on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, he broke them, and handed
them to his disciples to distribute. And they distributed them among the people.
They also had some small fish. Jesus said a blessing, and asked that these be shared
as well. The people ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over,
seven baskets full. Now those who had eaten were about four thousand in number. Jesus
sent them away, and immediately got into the boat with his disciples, and went to the
region of Dalmanutha.
Reflect
“Miracles happen.” In the Gospel according to Mark, there are two stories about Jesus
feeding the multitude: the feeding of the five thousand (cf. Mk. 6:34-44) and the feeding
of the four thousand (cf. Mk. 8:1-10). The feeding of the multitude is a miracle narrated by
the four evangelists. It is also called “the miracle of the loaves.” Today’s Gospel narrates
how Jesus fed the four thousand people out of seven loaves of bread and some small fish.
What a miracle! Miracles happen when we are not bogged down by seemingly hopeless
situations. Miracles happen when we face our everyday struggles with calmness. Miracles
happen when we trust God’s goodness concretized in our capacity to share. We sometimes
experience God’s miraculous providence in extraordinary occasions. But often, we
experience it ordinarily every day. Miracles ordinarily happen when we become more
creative, calm and self-giving rather than desperate, agitated and self-preserving in facing
our daily struggles in life. As Jesus’ disciples, we might not be able to multiply loaves the way
Jesus did it but we can always emulate Jesus’ approach to life’s difficult situations.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024