We Need A Miracle, Or Do We Have One? Yes, You're It!

This last Sunday the Gospel was about the loaves and fishes and how Jesus had the disciples distribute the food among the crowd of 5000 men, plus woman and children. Starting out with just a few fish and a few loaves of bread, it appears we could use a miracle like that today with 26,500-30,000 people die each day due to poverty, curable diseases, and lack of nutrition. According to the Bread for the World Institute 3.5 percent of U.S. households experience hunger, some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 9.6 million People, including 3 million children, live in these homes.

Going back to the miracle, you can only imagine how all these people ended up eating and filling more baskets with scrapes after having their fill. It can happen, and it does happen today. Let’s look on a local level for a moment. Many times there is a food drive and special push for the local food bank, or St. Vincent DePaul’s Society, to replenish their shelves so they can handle the extra load of additional people in need. (Like today) All of a sudden those of us who may be more fortunate come through with a check or clean out our cupboards to donate to these worthy causes. The less fortunate are supplied the goods, the shelves end up with more than they had to begin with, and the miracle has happened again, again and again.

The fact of the matter is that we are truly blessed in so many ways. Despite all of the ups and downs locally and nationally, however each of us have a moral obligation to do everything we can for the marginalized in this world. We can count on CRS (Catholic Relief Services) and many other fine Christian Organizations to take our contributions and to be part of the miracle, helping those around the world. On a local level, when we are overwhelmed by negative news of poverty, layoffs, and people losing their homes, we can do as Mother Theresa has indicated, “Your Calcutta is down the street, go love and serve your neighbor, that’s your Calcutta”.
Thank God for the ability to empathize with the pain and suffering of others so we can realize what our purpose in life is. As saint Nike says: Do It Now!