Mark 6:34-44

This reading is about the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes feeding the five thousand men (not including women and children), with twelve wicker baskets of leftovers gathered up afterwards. The reading starts with Jesus’ heart moved with pity for the crowd, who were like sheep without a shepherd there in that remote, deserted place, and he began to teach them many things until the disciples reminded him that they would need to eat.

In these modern times, Jesus still is moved by pity for the vast millions of people who are hungry and alone, those who feel desperate and abandoned by the world, those who feel crushed by poverty with no way out. And as he broke the loaves and fishes into portions and had them distributed and all were satisfied, from this we learn that there is sufficient abundance in the world if it is shared.  If only it were shared. 

We must change around our way of thinking. There is enough abundance in the world; now how do we unlock it by sharing?  Sharing is the magic, so to speak, the transformative activity that brings blessing. But the endless pursuit of profit locks the gates.  In old times, no one in a village went hungry, because farmers grew extra for those who might run out of food.  Now, while all roads lead to profit, it is hard to cut across these well-worn tracks to engage in sharing. We have to use work-arounds and it is cumbersome.  Sometimes churches or food banks are a hub, but how can our sharing be bigger and broader and more scaled up than that? Let us pray for earth’s abundance to be shared to all, and let it flow freely across boundaries.  Jesus and the angels wish us to pray for this.  Amen.

Personal: You are just one little person receiving big messages. It is OK to rest and to cut yourself some slack.  With love, amen.