Hunger

Hunger

When Christ performed the miracle during the Sermon on the Mount, he fed thousands with seemingly nothing – a couple of loaves of bread and some fish.  This miracle symbolizes more than just the actual feeding, it symbolizes what can happen when we come together and share God’s abundance with the world.  The apostles were restless and worried because Jesus was preaching too late and they would need to feed everyone.  They knew they barely had enough to provide for themselves.  Jesus ignored their fears and continued his ministry.  Then the miracle started: inspired by the love of Christ, a few of the people offered up and shared what they had.  This tiny bit of food shared by the people for the people fed the masses.  This is the only story that is mentioned in all four gospels.

As Christians, we need to pay close attention to these stories.  In the story, we are being told to share.  Economic times are tough right now, and this can lead us to have a scarcity mentality - to hoard our “stuff” - just in case!  Now is when we are especially called to share with our neighbors that have less.  Trust that God will get us through this together, and turning outwardly to love of our neighbors will help us all to live healthy and meaningful lives.  We need not turn inward, taking care of only ourselves and saving everything.  Christ urges us to turn outward instead and share the graces of God that we have been given with others.  What seems like so little, will feed “thousands”  And the hunger that the people of this world crave does not only take the form of food; many of us have plenty to eat but are spiritually staving.

Lent is a time for renewal.  We fast, we feel hunger!  It is a time to quietly reflect on our blessings and all the grace and mercy that has been shown to us by God.  As we move towards Easter we hope and pray for transformation and re-creation in our own lives.  But we must first acknowledge our own hunger and blessings.  Then we must share our blessings with one another and we will find that we are in fact feeding one another.  There is story about Heaven and Hell where many people are sitting in a circle around a pot of delicious food, but are only given access to a fork which is too long an extend outward.  In Hell the people, determined to feed themselves, are starving as they cannot connect the fork with their mouth.  Yet in Heaven people are full and content as they use their fork to feed one another!

So what my friends are you hungry for?  What do you need to be satisfied, and what do you have that will feed another.  In the end it is only through extending ourselves outward in love that we will come to feed one another that which we have all been so blessed to receive!

Lord, open our hearts so that in the midst of plenty, we are aware of those who hunger, and in the midst of friends, we remember those who are friendless.  Please keep us ever mindful of the needs of others.  Give us a hunger to do your will, and an appetite to see your kingdom, here and in the world to come.  We ask this through Jesus, your Son. AMEN.”

Your faithful servant,

carmen