The Word God Spells

Mark 8: 1-10
Gn 3:9-24 / Ps 90

They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over– seven baskets. There were about four thousand people.
(Mark 8:8-9)

God’s love and generosity
Is beyond our comprehension;
So have no fear in adversity,
Just have faith in His compassion.

In those days another large crowd gathered, and had nothing to eat. Jesus called His disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd; they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they might collapse along the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, and giving thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to distribute to the people. They had a few small fish as well; He gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over — seven baskets. There were about four thousand people.

Reflection

Today’s Gospel passage of Mark tells about the abundance and generosity of God. Our loving Father teaches us to be generous as He is generous, just as His beloved Son teaches us to be forgiving as He is forgiving. To the open-handed belongs the bounty of creation. As Khalil Gibran said in his book, ‘The Prophet’, “ . . . And there are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.”

We worry too much about our own needs that we fail to see the abundant blessings that we have been receiving from God. And this lapse chips away at our sense of gratitude. Like the nine lepers who were healed, but were so overcome by the miracle of their healing that they forgot to go back and thank the Healer, most of us take our blessings and good fortune for granted.

Our running club, Davao Sunday Runners, took a 4-day out-of-town trip to Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro, one bus load of 36 happy runners. Some of our members are just minimum wage earners, but because of the generosity of the others who have the means, everyone was able to enjoy first-class accomodations thru-out the trip. This gift of generosity, we believed, was the main reason why the Lord made that short vacation a happy and very memorable one for all.

We cannot help but thank God everyday for the rich life that we live in our faith and trust in God’s Providence. We experience answered prayers as daily occurences that renew our faith, strengthen us and make us persevere, make us confident, and be at peace and joyful in our loving relationships. As I write, this text message from a brother came: “Even in the worst of times, we still have many blessings for which to be grateful. Never should our trials make us forget the abundant goodness of God.” A big Amen to that!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and He has been my savior. The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just” (Psalm 118:1,14-16). Thank You, Father, for the many blessings You constantly provide for us, especially those that we take for granted, which are actually the most important, like the gifts of the Spirit. Amen.