Enough

A Reflection on the Gospel for August 2nd, 2020:
The Solemnity of Our Lady of the Angels of Portiuncula

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Matthew
14.13-21

When Jesus heard that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist, he withdrew 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, Jesus 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 Jesus 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.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

​Eat! Give them something to eat!
 
These are the words, not of Jesus, but of every Filipino mother. Ever. As soon as I would walk through the door with my friends, my mother would inevitably ask: “Have you eaten? Eat! Give them something to eat!” Some of you will be unfamiliar with this innate need Filipino women have to feed those within five feet of them. But those who have experienced it are probably laughing or at least smiling. It’s funny – because it’s true!
 
Because of this, potlucks sometimes cause me anxiety. I will often pray under my breath, “Loaves and fishes Lord, loaves and fishes!” Because if there’s not enough food, my mama will roll over in her grave! Yet, every potluck there is always enough. It might be mostly one type of food (hello dessert buffet!) but more often than not, like the 5000 in Matthew’s gospel, all ate and were filled. Not sure biblical scholars would agree, but in my mind the feeding of the 5000 is a story about a potluck. Like the Disciples, we can often worry that there won’t be enough, yet Jesus knows there is enough because God provides – through us. Jesus says, “You give them something to eat.” The key word is “you”. Sure, Jesus is the Son of Man and the Son of God and as such, He can do more than we can ever imagine. Yet He desires to do the unimaginable for us, with us, and through us. 
 
Jesus’s words could be read as delegating. But really, He is calling the Disciples out. He knows they have the ability to “feed” those around them. A big COVID-19 lesson for me, is in witnessing all the ways people are striving to “feed” others and proving that there is enough. We may not do it perfectly, but we are trying. Even when it seems resources are sparse, we find enough to fill the immediate needs of those around us and ourselves. We’ve heard the phrase, “in this together” over and over. But really, each person’s experience of the pandemic is personal. However, if we are Christ’s disciples today, then we are in this together. Jesus calls us to task. You and I are able to offer the other “something to eat”.
 
One of the things I love about a potluck is the variety that can appear on the shared table. People bring what they are able, be it their grandmother’s no fail pasta salad, a new instant pot recipe they wanted to try, or the infamous veggie tray from the grocery store of their choosing. The point is, people bring a part of who they are and in turn contribute to literally feeding their brothers and sisters. What if we thought about spiritually feeding one another in the same way? Like the Disciples we can automatically turn to the “experts”, our priests, deacons, religious – when in reality, we all have “food” to give.

Let’s bring what we have, because it will be enough.




Aurea Sadi

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