John 6:1-15 We Do Not Have Enough

John 6:1-15 We Do Not Have Enough
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“As for me, I will declare this forever; I shall sing the praises of the Lord!” (Ps. 75:9)

Once again the Apostles, those closest to the Lord, are experiencing the real limitations of human logic and reason. God never asks us to play dumb; to suspend our human faculties. No. He does not insist that we become less human. He does not demand from the Apostles that they “Stop thinking!” Rather, he asks them to stop thinking like men and start thinking like children of God. In other words, he asks us to elevate what is natural and raise it to Heaven so that it can become supernatural. He asks us to believe even when it appears to be humanly impossible! This is the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. This is the miracle of the Eucharist, of Christ’s real presence in the simple made holy. The Lord invites us to believe just as we live. We live because we believe. We believe in tomorrow. We believe in life. We can believe, so “believe also in me.”

One of our readers, Sarah, left a comment yesterday that is absolutely fitting even for today: “I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God, even when He is silent. “

Lord, increase my faith in you, my devotion to you, my love for you.

In today’s Gospel, the Lord invites us all to take our human logic, intellect, reason and will and lift them up. Undoubtedly, the Apostles asked themselves, “How in the world will we provide for so many people? How can we do this? Does the Lord not see what we see, the number of people out here? We can honestly say that what He is asking for is physically, emotionally and psychologically impossible. The pressure must be tremendous. The Apostles must be near their breaking point. Will they begin to cave in and fall back?

How often have I felt that the Lord demands way too much from me and it’s not fair? After all, the Apostles, like us, are made of skin and bone. I do not have enough to give to you.

Please do not think that the story I am about to tell you is to make myself sound amazing. Those who know me know better. It can never be about me but about the One works through me! We all know that once the Lord called his servants his friends, their relationship with the Almighty changed forever. Even though I have seen it so many times, I am still amazed at how the Lord takes our little gifts and turns them into something enormous.

Not too long ago, I decided to help someone on a monthly basis until their child was born. I would help them with a monthly donation. I know the family very well; they are like family to me. I did it and I was concerned, so concerned, that I would not be able to keep up with it. The end of the first month arrived and on that morning, standing next to the office door, there was a woman with an envelope. She was waiting for me because she wanted to return a donation I had made to St. Vincent de Paul Society. Inside the envelope was my gift, doubled. It was exactly the amount I needed to give. I could not believe my eyes.

The next month arrived and I received a letter in the mail. Inside was a check with the exact amount of money I needed to give. The reason for the check was hilarious. This individual had made a promise to the Lord during Lent: No more cussing. Well, for every cuss word she said, she would give me a dollar. I could not believe my eyes! It was exactly what I needed. Isn't it amazing what God can do through sin?

I do not have enough to give. That is so true and that is why the Lord does not ask us to suspend our minds but to open our hearts, our minds and our will to His Heart, His Mind and His Will. My empty hands are physically, spiritually and emotionally similar to the empty tomb - an open invitation from God to witness something beautiful from Him.

He alone is all I need.