Coffee With God

Reflection: Mk 8:1-10

To a present-day reader of the gospel, the behaviour of those four thousand people would seem absurd. They simply decide to come far away from their homes, to follow a preacher, disregarding their needs for food. The Gospel insists that the listeners of the Word of God chose to remain close to Christ and he was “moved with pity” and he sought a remedy for their hunger. The Gospel gives us a vital lesson for life: When we persevere to “remain in him” (John 15:4), Christ himself provides for our needs. He knows our exact circumstances- how far we’ve come and how hungry we are. He provides for our every need. As the Son of God, Jesus had the power to fix the problem of hunger. But he didn’t fix it himself. He chose to invite people to be missionaries to feed the hungry. “How many loaves do you have?” is the question. Today, Jesus asks us as well. We answer by dedicating our time, talents, and treasures to Christ. In the Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit #174 , Pope Francis appeals to the world: “Please, do not leave it to others to be protagonists of change. You are the ones who hold the future! Jesus was not a bystander. He got involved. Don’t stand aloof, but immerse yourselves in the reality of life, as Jesus did. Above all, in one way or another, fight for the common good, serve the poor, be protagonists of the revolution of charity and service, capable of resisting the pathologies of consumerism and superficial individualism.” People who have dedicated themselves to caring for the hungry and homeless have always found what they needed, at their doorstep. There is a crucial element in today’s Gospel we cannot overlook. It was not Jesus but his disciples who distributed the food. Our world has enough resources to satisfy the hunger of all its peoples, but not enough to feed the greed of even one person. If there is hunger, malnutrition and other unmet needs in the world today, it is because we, are failing, in our task of distribution. Hunger and suffering are not the work of God, instead it is our failure to do any work. Our everyday should be a time of giving. We could ask ourselves: To whom are we giving? Can we widen our circle of people to whom we reach out, with gifts that mean life or death for the receivers or beneficiaries who will never know who their benefactors are and who will not be able to give anything back….this is Jesus’ way of giving, so quietly/ that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.