Mk 8:1-10
1In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, [Jesus] summoned the disciples and said, 2“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?”
5Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. 6He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets. 9There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them 10and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
About four thousand people: We often wonder how Jesus is able to feed thousands with seven loaves of bread and a few fish. Is it a miracle or a simple sharing? That Jesus as Lord can do anything should not be a question for us who believe in him as our Lord and God.
So what is this miracle about? Jesus is bread for the hungry, joy for the lonely, peace for the troubled, home for the lost, and forgiveness for the restless. Jesus is and will be what people need.
Who are we for the people we meet, especially for those who look up to us and count on us? Even if we can only be a presence for the people entrusted to us—this will be enough food for them. It is the way to be taken, blessed, broken, and shared.