Reflection on relying in God's power :) [source]
3 December 2009 @ 03:01:16
They all ate and were satisfied. (Matthew 15:37)
from wau.org
Here’s a question to ponder. If this is a genuine miracle, and Jesus really is the Son of God, why didn’t he give the apostles exactly the right amount of food for this crowd? Why did they end up with extra bread? Did he think that the disciples might get hungry again? Did he anticipate more people showing up later? Probably not. More likely, Jesus wanted to teach them something about leftovers.
The number of baskets remaining—seven—can give us a clue. In Jewish thought, the number seven was an expression of perfection, the kind of perfection found only in God. It took Yahweh six days to create the world, and then he rested on the seventh. It was a day of satisfaction and plenty. It was a time to enjoy his creation, a creation so good and complete that it couldn’t be improved upon. In the same way, the bread that Jesus provided satisfied the crowd in a way that no earthly food could (Matthew 15:37).
The number seven also shows us God’s limitless generosity. Jesus told Peter to forgive seventy-seven times, that is, always (Matthew 18:22). Jesus knew that Peter could be so forgiving because God’s mercy is boundless.
Notice also that the apostles started with seven baskets, and they finished with seven baskets. It was Jesus’ way of saying that whenever we give to someone, relying on God’s resources, we will never run out. So these fragments weren’t really leftovers. They were part of his endless supply of blessings!
All of these points apply in a special way to the Eucharist, the Bread of Life that Jesus gives us every day at Mass. This bread, which is his body, is unlike any other food we could ever eat. It is perfect, lacking in nothing. It is full of God’s eternal, unlimited blessings. When we eat in faith, surrendering our hearts to Jesus, he fills us with everything we need. He satisfies our hearts’ desires. And he gives us plenty of “leftover” grace to share with everyone we will encounter. What a generous, loving God he is!
“Lord, I put all my trust in you. I know that you have the answers I am looking for. I believe that your body and blood can give me everything I am lacking. You are my strength and my song!
From this daily reading, I am reminded again whenever you rely in God’s resources, you won’t run out of solutions to solve the problems :), so for those who is still in exam period, don’t forget to rely on His strength :) GBU
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