Chapter Chaplain's Homily Reflection - GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT

GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT
One evening, Anderson, a prosperous and God fearing farmer, was praying with his young son. As they knelt beside the bed, Anderson said, “Let us pray for that poor man down the road, that the good Lord may come to his help.” His son looked up and replied with disarming simplicity: “But Dad, we don’t need to bother God about that. We can do it ourselves.” The child preached a whole homily in one sentence.
Anderson meant well. He wanted to show concern. But his son reminded him and all of us that sometimes prayer is not enough. Sometimes, when we pray for someone in need, God’s answer is very simple: “You can do something yourselves.”
This is exactly what happens in today’s Gospel (Mt 14:14–21). A large crowd gathers around Jesus—sick, hungry, tired. Evening approaches, and the disciples, overwhelmed by the situation, say to Jesus: “Dismiss them so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus, moved with compassion, replies: “No. Give them something to eat.”
How would you and I respond to a similar situation? Our reactions today are not much different from those of the disciples. Like the disciples, some of us do not believe that we can do anything except to ask them to go and work for their living. Some think what they have is too little to make any difference. Some blame people with low incomes for their condition. Some pray for the needy but never take a step toward helping them (James 2:15). Often, what stops us from acting is the belief that our little cannot possibly matter.
Yet the world’s hunger is real. Today, nearly one billion people suffer from chronic hunger. Some roam our streets. Some beg for their livelihood. Some move about angry. Some turn to crime. The need is overwhelming, but ignoring it is not an option. To pretend it does not exist is a lie. To look away is to fail in charity.
Giving, as we know, is not merely an economic act; it is a moral decision. It is about the heart. A selfish person says “no” before thinking. A generous person believes there is always a way. The miracle of the loaves and fish teaches us that what we have never truly ends when there is a willing heart. God multiplies what we offer.
This is why compassion is essential. It was compassion that made Mary notice the empty wine jars at Cana (Jn 2:1ff). Compassion opens our eyes. Compassion moves our hands. Compassion gathers resources—money, clothing, food, goodwill—and turns them into nourishment for the poor, the homeless, the jobless, the refugee, the child without support. A miracle is not God working instead of us. A miracle is God working with us.
The Good News today is simple and liberating: You do not need to be wealthy to help the poor. You only need love - love translated into action. To refuse to help because “they should go and work” is not Christian charity. Faith believes something can be done. And if we cannot do everything, we can do something. If we cannot see what is done, we can do what can be seen.
As we go home, let us ask God for three graces: The grace to recognize that everything we have is a gift (1 Cor 4:7). The grace to use what we have, however small. To lift those who lack the necessities of life. The grace to understand that Christianity is not only a set of doctrines to recite, but a way of life to be lived. May the Lord open our eyes to see the hungry, open our hearts to feel their pain, and open our hands to “give them something to eat

Chaplain 

Arrowhead Desert Valley Chapter