The Child's Basket

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

~~~ 2 Kings 4: 42-44  ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Eph 4:1-6 ~~~ John 6: 1-15 ~~~

The multiplication of the loaves and the fish

is one of my favorite miracle story.

Jesus takes a few loaves and fish from a child and creates abundance.

He creates this abundance right in plain sight,

not hidden away in a deserted place.

Jesus sees the need of the people and he takes care of their need.

They were hungry and he feeds them.

Does he feed them because he did not want them to leave?

Does he feed them because they had walked some

distance to hear him speak?

No one carried with them even a water filled cooler.

There was no food truck nearby.

Basically Jesus was all they had to address their hunger pangs.

Jesus used what was available...he worked with what

they brought with them.

He could have just as easily had them pass an empty basket

which miraculously filled with food. Jesus had the power

to take nothing and make it into something,

but he chose to use what they had.

He allowed what this child brought to be part of his miracle.

Not just part of the miracle but the basis for the miracle...

five barley loaves and two fish.

God uses what we bring to him to create more in our lives.

No matter how small or insignificant God can change

what we have into more.

God can fill our small basket so that it never appears to be empty.

Whenever I see images of St. Peter's square filled with people

 receiving Holy Communion it reminds me of this miracle.

The Pope gives thanks and consecrates what has been

brought forth by the people.

The priests then move out into the crowd distributing the

Body of Christ to everyone present who desires to receive.

Before Jesus preformed this miracle he asks those closest to him this question. 

"Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"

Jesus already knew what he could and would do...

he already had the solution,

but he still asks for their input.

Was Jesus making fun of them?

I don't think so.

Was he asking to see if they would ask him to perform a miracle?

Their answer made it obvious that they alone did not have

the means to feed this crowd.

We can do anything with the help of Jesus.

All things are possible in our life.

Many times Jesus seems to wait to see if we have our own solution.

He may even let us try.

He waits for us to give him the little that we have.

We then watch in awe as he creates his miracles of love.

Next time you think you have little remember that is exactly where God

can come into the picture and create miracles.