MORE THAN ENOUGH

more than enough

Everybody ate and had enough — there were about 4,000 people. – Mark 8: 8-9

After our prayer gathering, The Feast, at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Timog Avenue, Quezon City, we usually serve snacks. Normally, we just prepare sandwiches or muffins and juice.

But one time, those in charge of the Food Ministry couldn’t make it to The Feast because they had another service elsewhere. We thought we wouldn’t have snacks that night.

But one of our attendees, Edel Nantes, was celebrating her birthday at The Feast. So instead of just snacks, we really had a feast! Just like the miracle of the bread and fish in today’s reading, everybody ate and was satisfied. In fact, there was more than enough that we were able to share with some bystanders outside the church.

It’s surprising what God can do through us when we offer to Him what we have. In His hands, the little we have can become the food that can feed the multitudes.Cynthia Santiago (boses2go@yahoo.com)

REFLECTION:

What can you share with others today?

Lord, give us this day our daily bread.

Am I really “CATHOLIC?”

Let’s do some Bible study today. Take a piece of paper and a pen. Draw a line in the middle of your paper, straight from the top to the bottom so that you get two columns. Next, open your Bible and search for the Gospel according to Mark. Now write on top of the left column: “Mark 6:35-44” and above the right column “Mark 8:1-10.”

After reading both passages, write down the differences you found in the very similar stories.

Why did Mark include the same story twice but with different details? Whoever has studied the Bible closely immediately focuses on the numbers. How did they come up with such round numbers, 5,000 and exactly 4,000? In the Bible, numbers often have symbolic meaning. Five reflects the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, while four was the symbolic number for the Gentiles. Again, 12 is the number of the 12 tribes of Israel, while seven is the number of perfection and universality. Now look where Jesus performed the two miracles: the first one on Jewish territory, the second on Gentile territory. And here we come to the message the evangelist wants to give. He rounded up the numbers a bit to tell His readers that Jesus came for Jews and Gentiles alike, that He has compassion for both, that He nourishes all. This is really Good News! Jesus loves all people. He does not care only for those who follow Him but also for those who do not know Him yet. His attitude is 100 percent Catholic, which means “all-embracing.”

That message was not only important for Mark’s community but is equally challenging to us. For even though we are grateful to belong to the Catholic Church, we are unfortunately not always “allembracing.”

Nobody was excluded from Jesus’ compassion, from His care, from His love and sharing what He had. He was really Catholic. And so He poses to each one of us the valid question: “Are you really Catholic?”Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

Reflection Question:

Am I too close and comfortable with certain people and so exclude others? Who would need my attention among those I meet in daily life?

Ouch, Lord, the enjoyable Bible study turned out to become a stinging question I have difficulty answering. Please open my heart more that I may become really all-embracing without ignoring or even rejecting anybody.

St. Benignus, pray for us.