July 25, 2021: 17th Sunday B
July 25, 2021: 17th Sunday B
Disciples of Jesus need to learn two virtues to be a follower of Jesus: mercy and humility. Mercy is feeling compassion for the needs of others and taking positive steps to relieve the miseries or meet the needs of others. When Jesus saw the crowd of 5,000 tired and hungry from a long day of being with him, he was moved with pity for them and did not wish to send them away before giving them something to eat. Jesus asked his disciples, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” His disciples however were thinking in more practical terms: they don’t have enough money to feed them, and they were at a loss as to how to practically solve the problem. Their awareness of their human limit was their moment of humility. They were only able to find five loaves and two fish from a boy who was willing to offer all that he had to Jesus. Then Jesus took all that the boy had and miraculously multiplied them to feed everyone. Where the human mind saw scarcity, Jesus provided abundance. In Jesus’ hands, the simple offering of whatever gift God has entrusted to us is enough. Jesus calls us to trust and to give in the same way the boy did. What holds us back? Are we afraid that if we give, we will not have enough for ourselves?
Mother Teresa said, “When you come face to face with God, you cannot but know that you are nothing, that you have nothing...It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself...When you become full of God then you can give God to others.” When a disciple is humble, he is aware that he possesses nothing and that he is nothing. He is aware that everything was provided by God, including his very life. Therefore the disciple’s love becomes real, devoted, and ardent. When a disciple is humble, neither praise nor disgrace will touch him; when he is blamed, he will not be discouraged. When a disciple gives anything to others, it is not his talents, resources, or possessions; he is merely giving away and sharing what God had entrusted to him.
For the two modern day disciples--Dallas, a baptist and Jonathan, a Greek Catholic--the lessons from their failures led them to humility and mercy. For the aspiring faith-based movie director Dallas Jenkins, the Hollywood flop was a blow to his pride. He thought he had all the ingredients for a blockbuster success. One night he could not sleep as his failure weighed down. Four in the morning, he received a Facebook message from a stranger from the opposite side of the globe. “Remember, your job is not to feed the 5,000. It’s only to provide the loaves and fish.” Dallas stared at the message, and quickly replied, “What compelled you to send that message to me?” The reply was, “I don’t know. God just told me to tell you that.”
For Jonathan Roumie, his idea of success was to land big roles in Hollywood movies that will provide financial windfall. All the while he was working seven side jobs, Jonathan was praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy everyday seeking God’s guidance. One morning, he found himself broke and hungry; he was in debt and his refrigerator was empty; all he had was $20 in his pocket. He did the only thing he knew, to get on his knees, pray, and to surrender to Jesus, "I'm going to leave all of these worries and all of these problems that I have to You. I’m not going to worry about it and I'm just going to trust you to take care of it." A minor miracle happened that very day; he received three unexpected checks that helped him pay the debt and put food on his table. Three months later, he landed the role of Jesus in the series, “The Chosen” directed by Dallas Jenkins.
“Remember, your job is not to feed the 5,000. It’s only to provide the loaves and fish.” We are to give all that we have, humbly acknowledging that we have nothing and we are nothing. If we cling to what we think we own--our wealth, our status, our time--we become restless and unsatisfied. We fall into the temptation that if we pursue after more wealth, name, fame, or comfort, the restlessness will disappear. When we pray and ask Jesus to give us a heart to love like he loves, we begin to realize that our little acts of love and mercy become multiplied. In today’s miracle, Jesus didn’t just give out physical bread; he gave his abundant mercy and love as the bread of life. When we understand his abundant love for us, he works his miracle through our meager gift. Jesus could have miraculously made the bread and fish appear on the laps of 5,000 people. Instead, he depended on his disciples to distribute the miracle of God’s mercy. It is not my job alone to feed the 5,000; it is our job together to feed the 5,000.
