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‘There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.’ –Matthew 14:16
For Children: Share this short video lesson about the loaves and fishes with your young children.
For Adults: We wait for it, as we do for the other shoe to drop. The Gospel no sooner mentions hunger before someone has to answer for it. Sometimes it’s God, responding with manna from Heaven and water from a rock. Sometimes it’s God’s prophet, as when Elijah and Elisha supply bottomless jars of oil or abundant barley loaves for food-insecure families. But in this case, when the disciples tell Jesus that the people need to eat, Jesus surprises them—and us—by saying, “Feed them yourselves.” So we do. We send checks to organizations that help famine victims. We bring canned goods to the food bank. We vote for candidates who support school lunch programs and a living wage for workers. We share what we have, so that everyone may have enough. And we work toward being a society that seeks justice for all of its members so that no one goes hungry.
What needs exist in your community, and how can you be responsive to them?
LET US PRAY… Lord of mercy, you ask us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, protect the vulnerable. Yet the poor Christ cries for bread and seeks a welcome all around us. Give us the grace to repent this sin and to change our hearts. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
While The Gospel at Home takes a break in the summer months, we’ll be drawing our weekly reflections from Exploring the Sunday Readings by Alice Camille.
Image credit: www.LumoProject.com / FreeBibleimages.org