Jesus Heals and Feeds

 

  Matthew 15:29-37

 Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

²⁹ Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰ Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹ The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

³³ His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

³⁴ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

³⁵ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. ³⁷ They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

A wonderful scene for our advent reflection: a caring, compassionate Jesus tending to the physical needs of the people who came to him for help. We need to remember this for Jesus knows of what we are made, that we need to eat, that we have aliments needing to be cured, that we have a spiritual hunger that only HE can satisfy. We celebrate St. Nicholas today, the man behind Santa Claus, whose generosity and kindness led him to be one of the first people venerated as a saint without having been martyred. His miracle was daily living out the faith in a lifetime of charity. No reindeer, no red suit, no sky trekking sleigh based in the North Pole, but visible, tangible acts of kindness, following the model of Jesus curing and feeding.  What then can I do during this Advent to imitate these great men?

Bro. Rene

Dear God, thank you for presenting the challenge to spread compassion and kindness in simple everyday dealings with others. Amen.