Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

To Be Enough

“And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the Lord had said.”

Have you ever had a shortage of anything? Food, time, energy, creativity, generosity? Do you ever feel like what you have to give just isn’t enough? And when you feel that it isn’t enough, that it won’t make a difference in the hugeness of the need, do you withhold what you have?

As you prepare for this Sunday’s Eucharist, imagine yourself as the boy in the Gospel story. Was it a difficult choice for the boy to offer his food when he didn’t know where or when he would have more? He could have hidden the food. But he didn’t. Something made him offer what he had and Jesus used a little to feed a lot. The lesson that the boy learned is that what he had is more than enough. God can multiply any offering!

Sometimes we depend on God to work miracles without us doing our part. For example, with all the starvation throughout the world, we might think that we can’t even begin to solve that problem. The miracle story this Sunday reminds us that when we help our neighbors and inspire others to do the same, there is the possibility of more than enough.

When we are tempted to hold back, when we are feeling a bit stingy or possessive of our time, our energy, or our material things, can we offer to God what we have and let God multiply our offering? Can we imagine how God might use what little we offer and put it to good use for the good of others?

Jesus asked the disciples to ensure that nothing was wasted, nothing thrown out. The crowds were fed and there were leftovers. There was more than enough. When what appeared to be too little was shared fairly and in solidarity with others, no one was deprived. Can we believe that? Can we live that?

Let’s remember that this Sunday when we are sent forth from Mass to live the Gospel. Can we share whatever we have—our food, our voices, our abilities, our talents for the good of the many? Can we be enough?