Multiplication – A Mystery to be Lived!

Fr. Francis Scaria

The multiplication of the bread was not merely an event in the life of Jesus, but it is a mystery that the disciple lives everyday. The disciple encounters the miracle working God at every moment of his life. For the disciple who knows that his resources are limited finds at his side the God who multiplies his resources. He counts on the generosity and builds on the good-will of the disciple. The Lord who taught us to pray for our daily bread gives us bread in abundance. When he saw the crowd he felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. This helplessness moved him to the heart and he worked a miracle. He not only addressed their physical hunger but their spiritual and psychological hunger too. To the shepherd without sheep, he himself became the shepherd. Feeding is only one of the activities of the shepherd. The good shepherd knows his sheep by name, binds up the wounded and cares for the weak.

Today the Lord multiplies our resources. He multiplies our love, patience, forgiveness, endurance, compassion and perseverance. He supplies us with the daily bread in abundance.