Seeds ' Scattered by Fr. Michael Marzan

David Haas

We could easily identify with disciples in the gospel who saw the crowds following Jesus for days and had nothing to eat. Like them we feel helpless when we see millions of our own people not having enough only with these people well, very often we pray for them. What prevents us from taking positive action is often realistic assessment that the little we can do is not really going to make any difference to the hungry people. "Where could we ever get enough to satisfy such a crowd? We might ask Jesus like the disciples. But Jesus insists it is not enough to have pity. One has to be moved to action. 'How many loaves do you have?" Jesus would ask us. Do something to someone from what you have. That will make the difference. It is like this story. Two friends went to walk along the ocean. When one of them saw a dying starfish lying on the sand, he would pick it up and throw it back to the ocean. Irritated, his friend asks him, "What difference does one starfish make over the billions of starfish in the ocean?" said the other one, "But for that one starfish I just threw back to the ocean, for him there is a huge difference ; it means for him life or death. In comparison to the hungry millions, the help you give to one hungry mouth will make a very little difference. But for that one hungry person to whom your help will be given, it means a huge difference, beacause it could mean for a lot for him, could mean life and death.

Gospel : MT 15:29-37 At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel. Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.