13 When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. 14 When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 [Jesus] said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” 17 But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” 18 Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” 19 and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. 21 Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children. (Matt 14:13-21)
WHAT WE HAVE WITHIN
Back in 2008 before the advent of Facebook and the other popular social media platforms, we read inspiring thoughts through emails. My mailbox used to be filled with emails just to preserve anecdotes, short inspiring stories that I could use in my homilies and talks. Once I received this beautiful story: “There was once a wise woman traveling in the mountains who found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met with another traveler who was hungry, and she opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked if she might give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was enough to give him security for a lifetime. However, a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman who had given it to him. ‘I have been thinking,’ he said, ‘I know how valuable the stone is, but I’m giving it back in the hope that you can give me something more precious. I want you to give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.’” The story ended with the quotation “The more you share, the more you grow.
I have kept this story for fifteen years because it has touched me very much. It extols the virtue of generosity. All the graces that we have received come from God who is ever generous, He who is never outdone in generosity. In today’s Gospel, the people gave what they had. Through these, God gave. All were filled—and there was more. God gives in abundance!
It is God who is within the heart of people who give everything they have in order that others may live.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. What is it within me that enables me to give?
2. How generous am I? Do I give abundantly like the Lord?
Lord, teach me to give.
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