Journal: How did you live out last week’s Gospel message? What was tough? What was rewarding?
I met an amazing young man one Christmas. Only 13 years old, he had organized a church blanket drive that had collected dozens, maybe hundreds of blankets for homeless people. His mom told me that he first wanted to organize the drive when he was seven, but that she told him to wait until he was older.
The young man is the perfect example of someone who seems to have learned from this week’s Gospel. In the Gospel story, the disciples face a hungry crowd and seem confused. They ask Jesus to do something. “Send them away,” they say. But Jesus challenges them to do something. The result? The hungry people eat.
We have to remember that Jesus left our world, but Christ is still here. We are Christ’s Body on earth. Each of us has a role to play in a world full of hunger and hopelessness. We all have the power to make a difference. But we need to work together and seek Jesus’ guidance.
So don’t just pray for Jesus to help others. He isn’t coming back until the end. It’s up to you and me to do the hard work of changing the world until then. Want world peace? Then pray for the ability to be a peacemaker. Want homes for the homeless? Then pray for guidance to help homeless people in your community. Want healing in your family? Then pray for the strength to bring it yourself.
Jesus is still trying to feed the hungry. But we’re his Body now. Let’s get to work.
Journal: Who inspires you to believe you can help work Christ’s miracles in today’s world? Why? What specific thing(s) has this person done to allow you to say to yourself, “I can do that!” Pray now that the Lord might help you to see the needs of others and to make a difference in their life.
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