By Eldho Augustine csc –
Readings: 1Jn 4: 7-10; Mk 6: 34-44
The compassion of the Lord has no bounds. This is what salvation means – “the fulfilling of all our needs: spiritual, emotional, social and physical”. In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus who is compassionate to the people. What made Jesus to be compassionate towards the people? Because “the people were as sheep without a shepherd and he began to teach them many things.”
Compassion is not just a feeling of pity; rather it moves a person into action. Jesus was filled with such compassion. The five loaves and two fish were enough for Jesus to feed the people. By this very act of Jesus, he demands us to move with compassion and not just have a feeling of pity. This compassion would make us share with one another what we have. There are many things that we can share with others. Some of them are– knowledge, understanding, support, and material things. In life, we encounter many problems, joys, and sorrows but the solutions come from all of us as we share with each other the God-given gifts and talents.
Today Jesus teaches us to share from nothingness. He had nothing with him. But he shared with people what he had received from others. This kind of sharing will make our life and ministry more meaningful. Do I have the tendency not to share my gifts and talents? And do I have some preferences for people with whom I like to share? To whom can we give and share? With whom are we sharing what we have? Perhaps we should widen the circle of our sharing during this time of pandemic with food materials and our time for the poor. God loves to see us spreading his grace by sharing our gifts and talents throughout our lives.