MAY 6, 2011
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI

OUR MEAGER GIFTS TO GOD
May 6, 2011
Friday of the Second Week of Easter
Father Steven Reilly, LC

John 6:1-15
After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd
followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the
sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his
disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised
his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to
Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this
to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip
answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be
enough for each of them to have a little." One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here
who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for
so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a
great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five
thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and
distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the
fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his
disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be
wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets
with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than
they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to
make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
Introductory Prayer: I come before you, Lord, poor and unworthy.
Yet you welcome me with such love. With my effort during this
meditation I want to make a small return on your great kindness.
Petition: Lord, help me to understand the trials you send me and to
value your gift of grace.
1. The Trials of Life: The Gospel tells us that Jesus "tests" the
disciples, watching the reaction they have to seemingly impossible
situations. This test in the shortage of food may well have induced
a panic. As the apostles looked out at the vast crowd, they felt
totally inadequate in the face of such need. Perhaps in that sense,
they passed the test. Christ wanted them to experience that human
ingenuity alone could not be the foundation of the Church. No matter
how smart the apostles or their successors are, the needs of the
souls and the world will always vastly outstrip our human capacity.
So what's the answer? There's only one: the Lord!
2. The Insufficient Gift: While the disciples are confused, a
little boy is generous. With innocence and simplicity, he walks up
with his basket. With this food, the Lord will do something
wonderful. Perhaps Our Lord was thinking about this boy when he said,
"Unless you become like a child, you will not enter the kingdom of
heaven." The disciples are being given a beautiful lesson in this
trusting child: give everything over to Christ; it doesn't matter how
little it may seem to you or others — with his divine power,
great things can happen with our five loaves and two fish.
3. Let Nothing Be Wasted: It's interesting that Our Lord sends out
the disciples as a cleanup crew after this big meal. One insight that
we can draw from this is the value of God's grace. Even though the
Lord's power is infinite, we should not become complacent and view
his grace as some commodity in oversupply. It is precious and should
not be wasted. Yet, that would seem to be exactly what happens. We
have received so many sacraments, but we are far from being saints.
This speaks to us again of the marvelous patience of the Lord. Even
when we don't fully appreciate the value of his gifts, he doesn't
stop giving them.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I see the compassion in your eyes
when you look out at the vast crowd. They are hungry, but I am poor
and weak in the face of such need. Come to my aid! Give the grace I
need to cooperate generously with you in the ongoing work of
redemption.
Resolution: I will be generous in helping others, trusting more in
God's grace than in myself.
meditation.regnumchristi.org