Gospel of Luke 9:11-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,

and he healed those who needed to be cured.

As the day was drawing to a close,

the Twelve approached him and said,

“Dismiss the crowd

so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms

and find lodging and provisions;

for we are in a deserted place here.”

He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.”

They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have,

unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.”

Now the men there numbered about five thousand.

Then he said to his disciples,

“Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.”

They did so and made them all sit down.

Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,

and looking up to heaven,

he said the blessing over them, broke them,

and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

They all ate and were satisfied.

And when the leftover fragments were picked up,

they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Luke 9:11-17

Gospel Reflection: Christ Uses What We Bring To Him

This week’s Gospel reminds us of what God can truly do with the gifts that we bring to Him.  When I reflect on this Gospel, I like to think of the person that brought the loaves and fish to share.  With such a large number of people, his gift could have been perceived as insignificant and dismissed as a useless contribution.  However, Christ took what the person brought to Him and performed miracles with it.  I think the lesson here is that Christ works with what we bring to Him.  We may view ourselves as insignificant or our talents as unimportant.  We can see needs in our community and dismiss the impact that our talents and skills will have on improving anything.  It is easy to think that we need a significant amount of money, a degree in theology, or some saintly level of holiness to make a difference, but this is a lie.  We have many saints who serve as an example of how small and silent acts have an incredibly far-reaching impact.  No matter how small or insignificant we think we are, or our talents are, God will take them and make great things happen because they are offered.  He will take our offering and change, develop, and perfect it.  We always have something important to contribute to the Body of Christ and no offering is too small, unimportant, or insignificant.  If we continue to offer ourselves and our gifts to Christ, we will continue to be like the person in today’s Gospel who’s offering was loved by God and used to feed five thousand.
Luke Brown, LPCC

Photo by Kate Remmer on Unsplash

Related content:

How To Set Goals In The Spiritual Life | Gospel Reflection Gospel Reflection: Don’t Be So Absorbed In Your Feelings That You Miss What’s In Front Of You Life Is Full Of Unexpected Changes…Here’s How To Respond | Gospel Reflection What An Unnecessary Miracle Can Teach Us About God’s Love | Gospel Reflection For January 16, 2022 What To Do When Your Choice Means Disappointing Someone | Gospel Reflection The Narcissism of Modern Pharisees | Gospel Reflection Jesus’ Farewell Discourse: What To Do When We Know Things Are Coming To An End (Gospel Reflection) Stir the Desire: Let Jesus Show You the Way to the Father’s House (Gospel Reflection) What Does Jesus Teach Us About Healthy Eating? | Luke 9:11-17