Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop
A little bit can go a long way. At least that’s one “moral” I take away from today’s Gospel reading. When the disciples realize they only have one loaf of bread in their boat, it seems as though they become discouraged as if they don’t have enough to feed each of them. However, Jesus reminds them of the times where many were fed with a small amount of bread and there were always fragments left over.
There’s many times in my professional life as a campus minister and in my personal life that I find investing relationally in others can sometimes feel like a small task but yet its rewards are great for me, for the other person, and sometimes for both. Even amidst those rewards, it can be challenging for me to stop and take moments in or to embrace an opportunity to connect with someone else. I can easily get caught up in logistics, so I have to force myself to take a deep breath and ask someone else a question to leads into a conversation or meets them where they are. The concept might feel a bit trite or overly simplified but in overlooking those moments to invest relationally in someone else we might be like the disciples overlooking the bread they did have and instead feeling as if they didn’t have enough. When the opportunity comes to engage with someone else we cannot let ourselves be overcome by the worry of what their need might be or how the encounter will go. We need to make the most of what we have an embrace the opportunity to multiply God’s grace like Jesus multiplied bread – leaving others fed and with pieces to spare.
This Valentine’s Day lets allow today’s Gospel to motivate us to make the most of what we have, to embrace the love of God and share that with others through the gift of encounter. Let us pray that we may not be overcome by the needs of any encounter but rather allow God’s grace to be multiplied around, in, and through us.
Mike Bennett