The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.”
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”
They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”
They answered him, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” MK 8:14-21
It’s interesting how Jesus introduces the Eucharist to us by feeding the 4,000. They ate and were satisfied. This miracle teaches us that God can’t be outdone in generosity. It shows that God satisfies the hungry heart. Those who seek will find. Most importantly, the closest friends of Jesus who witness the miracle still do not understand, trust, or believe. Jesus is present with us today in the Eucharist just like He was with His Apostles thousands of years ago. Amazing! Today, my 41 year old cousin who I have so many fond memories growing up and playing with on my grandma and grandpa’s farm lost his battle with cancer on Friday. We are the same age and his birthday is 10 days before mine. His family is very similar to mine. He leaves behind his wife, 2 daughters and 4 sons. His wife just had twin boys 3-4 months ago. After seeing him laid to rest today, many cannot believe it. Jesus is different than everyone else, He is God. We look with human eyes, but He asks us to see with eyes of faith. We are not supposed to have all of the answers, we are called to trust. This is hard. How can this be, 7 loaves and a few fish feed thousands. How can this be, my young cousin passes away with cancer leaving behind a wife and children. Why? Jesus came to earth to be with us in our suffering. He went through the Passion and died to show us His love for us. We have someone who understands and carries us. It solidifies our belief that this life is just a preparation for the next. This is the pre-game warm up. Eternity with our Creator and Savior is the most important. If you believe, it changes everything. Faith in God requires us to believe without seeing. It requires us to trust, not fully understanding. It requires hope in Jesus Christ’s resurrection and our own. Most of all it requires a lot of love.
Pete, I love you and I believe you are with Jesus, pray for us!
Today’s challenge: Faith is a gift from God, ask for it. It is strengthened by praying, studying the Scriptures, God’s grace given to us through the sacraments, and inviting Jesus into your life. It is shown through our actions with love. Be Christ for others.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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