By Ishongkun Kurbah, CSC –
Readings: 1Kgs 12:26-32, 13: 33-34; Mk 8:1-10
Jesus is always filled with compassion for everyone. Jesus had compassion for the crowd of his time when he was on earth. He has compassion for us and will always have compassion for ever for all. Today Jesus is not present physically and tangibly with us where we can see him face to face, touch him and feel him with our hands and listen to his voice with our own ears.
Undeniably Jesus is always present in the Eucharist in the Bread and Wine and from there flow the fountain of his compassion, love and mercy for each one of us. But what has struck me here is the verse 6: “He ordered the crowd to sit on the ground and after giving thanks he broke the bread and gave them to the disciples to distribute them to the crowd.” Here the disciples had no idea at all how to feed the big crowd and may be did not feel compassion for them as Jesus did. But they became part of his compassionate act; they took part and shared the responsibility of distributing the bread to the multitude when Jesus ordered them to distribute the loaves.
We are disciples of Jesus as all Christians are. Though many in today’s world seem to have forgotten, let us always remember that we truly share in the mission of Christ to distribute his love and compassion to others. Let our touch, our voice and our listening be an expression of love, compassion and mercy of Jesus to the others. This is the responsibility that Jesus has put upon our shoulders. Though it is a heavy and hard one to carry out, it is a graced and blessed one and that is what Jesus wants us to do in our life.