Today’s scripture: Matthew 15:32-39 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (David Zier):
This is one of those stories about Jesus that we know well. Jesus feeds the crowds, the Disciples are doubtful that they have enough food, and yet, all are fed with lots of leftovers. This is similar to the story in Matthew 14.
The phrase that speaks to me as I read this through is, “I have compassion for the crowd.” What happens when we have compassion toward others? I think typically, when we have compassion, we want to listen, we want to care, we want to provide comfort, and we want to be present for the person in a way that matters. According to Wikipedia, compassion is a cornerstone of greater interconnectedness. Reading the passage in this way, I see Jesus demonstrating compassion on us.
As a disciple of Jesus, I am to show compassion. Just imagine saying to someone, “I have compassion for you and I will not send you away hungry.” In this passage, the subject is physical food, and the overflowing supply of it after the feeding. This passage could be interpreted as God providing for us, and for the overflowing grace God provides in our lives, and the spiritual food we receive in relationship with God.
Jesus tells us to love our neighbors. Imagine that we have compassion when we see our neighbor, no matter who that is, and we chose to love our neighbor. This cultivates even more love in our lives and we have more love to give others. When we love well, it grows, it becomes overflowing. Even though compassion allows us to help others, it also helps us love well, and become full to overflowing of what compassion cultivates in our own lives.
This may sound idealistic, and probably not easy to obtain. But think about Mother Teresa, or Dorothy Day. What did their work for the homeless and hungry cultivate in others around the world? The Catholic Worker is a national organization started out of a single homeless shelter by Dorothy Day. How about our homeless ministry at Dayspring Center, or our mission teams returning to the Navajo Nation for nearly a decade? It seems like we are looking on crowds with needs but only a few resources to give. But we give what we can, and create an abundance of love and grace that speaks loudly to the world about what needs to be done.
Thought for the day: God, please help me cultivate more compassion in my life, so that I can grow in a love that is overflowing, be present for others, and deepen my relationship with you. Amen.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.