Too Many People, Not Enough Bread?

Genesis 3:9-24
Mark 8:1-10

What were Jesus and his disciples to do with a large crowd in a deserted place, and very hungry after spending three days with them?  There just wasn’t enough bread for them.
Jesus did not tell the people that they are to prepare for their needs.
His Sacred Heart was “moved to pity for them… If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way.” Mk 8:2-3

There just wasn’t enough bread for them, so to speak. The word for collapse or ‘faint’ is used elsewhere in the New Testament to mean “losing heart or getting discouraged in the faces of the struggles of the Christian life. So today when God’s people collapse or faint for lack of spiritual nourishment, and as many have these days; collapsing on the way” for lack of food or spiritual nourishment.  How will today’s disciple respond?  By ignoring them?  Too many people, not enough bread?

Something strikingly similar occurred during the Covid pandemic in 2020 in all the corners of the world. All work abruptly stopped, businesses closed, people lost jobs.  The most vulnerable were the hardest hit.  Funds dried up for non-profit organizations serving the poor, homeless, the elderly and homebound.  There just was not enough bread for them, so to speak. Nothing was good enough? Too many people, not enough bread?

In Laudato Si, Pope Francis tells us how Christ relates to creation as God’s gift to be shared with all. “Jesus lived in full harmony with creation and others were amazed.” He took, he gave thanks, broke them and gave it to his disciples. This is an action, we see at the last supper and at every Mass. Through this action of love and mercy, we were redeemed from sin and also in gratitude to Jesus who is the Bread of Life, we realize the compassionate love of God as Jesus invites everyone to His Supper.

Adam was given the opportunity to love and obey God above all else and to offer all creation back to God through obedience. Sadly, he yielded to personal ambition. Scripture tells us in Romans chapter 5 that Adam was a representative of all mankind. He acted on our behalf. St. Paul says, In Adam’s fall, we sin all.”

Let us be mindful of our personal and our social failure to care for the created world as a gift and be aware of our sinfulness in replacing power and things over the call to love and care for people like Jesus did. St. Augustine says, “Pray as though everything depends on God.  And work as though everything depends on you.”
Just so.  In faith, Jesus will bless and break our seemingly meager bread.  And in faith, we are to go out and share Christ-bread of life with all in need.

Fr Joseph Osho