COMMON OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

How many loaves do you have?

“If only . . . ” It can be frustrating to think that there is only so much you can do for the people you love. If only I had more time. If only I lived closer. If only I had more energy.

This is not unique to our time. In today’s Gospel reading, we see that Jesus is concerned for the people who have been with him for three days. “If I send them away hungry to their homes,” he tells his disciples, “they will collapse on the way” (Mark 8:3). You can imagine the thoughts that must have been going through the disciples’ minds: “If only we had dismissed the crowd sooner.” “If only we had more food on hand.” “If only Jesus didn’t spend so much time teaching them.”

But Jesus overcame their objections with a deep faith that his Father could take what little they had and work a miracle with it. He passed out the loaves and the fishes and was able to feed all four thousand—and collect baskets full of leftovers!

The reality is that we will always have to battle that “if only” way of thinking. We will always want to do more than we are capable of doing. It’s just human nature. But that shouldn’t stop us from doing something. Determination to use whatever we have and the faith that God will bless our efforts—those are the weapons we can use whenever we face our own “if only” doubts.

Even giving just a little time or effort is better than doing nothing! You may not have time to go visit someone, but you can always write them an email or a quick text message. Perhaps you can’t volunteer in person, but you can always call to see if there’s anything else you can do to help. Maybe you don’t have time to prepare a meal for someone, but you can always drop off some extra groceries.

Remember today’s story of the loaves and the fish whenever you are facing an “if only” situation. If you give what little you have, Jesus will find a way to multiply it beyond your expectations!

“Jesus, help me find ways to do what I can with what I have.”

1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
Psalm 106:6-7, 19-22
Mark 8:1-10