Pause and Look Up

Luke 9: 12-13,16-17 

"Late in the afternoon the twelve came to Him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat!" And they said, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He said the blessing over them,  broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets."

With the new catechetical year beginning, I imagine us all taking a deep breath as we launch our programs.  This Scripture passage is one I pray with often because of the disciples' dilemma: "There are so many and we have so little." Maybe the disciples learned something that day that could help us all?

While reading between the lines, I had the impression that the disciples were becoming overwhelmed with the crowd and wanted to take a break by sending everyone home to regroup.  They told Jesus, "Send the crowd away..." Instead, Jesus helped them realize two things. First, they don't work alone,  it is Jesus who feeds people.... through their efforts.  This can help us keep our ministries in perspective. Secondly, our efforts, however inadequate we may think they are as we begin this new catechetical year, are enough for the Lord to work miracles!  We need to intentionally give the Lord all of ourselves: our minds, hearts, hands, and plans so that He can bless all of it and then, through us, feed His people with what they will need to draw closer to Him.  When and where and how our ministry will touch the hearts of God's people is perhaps not for us to know. However, we can be certain of this: Jesus will take even the little we have to give and multiply the blessings to overflowing if we ask Him.

So, on those 'stressful' days of activity, let's pause, look up, and receive the blessing Jesus gives us to give to others.  Because when we do this, I've discovered, we will always have enough... (energy, time, resources, etc.) to accomplish the tasks at hand with more left over for rejoicing!

Ruth Oakley