How Many Loaves Do You Have?

 "How many loaves do you have?" 

Mark 8:5

Here in chapter 8 of Mark, Jesus is moved with pity for the great crowd of people. He did not want to send them away hungry. “How many loaves of bread do YOU have?" Jesus asked. The disciples had seven loaves of bread and a few fish. Jesus took the bread and fish, gave thanks, broke them and had the disciples distribute it all. After every one of the crowd of 4000 ate and were satisfied, there were fragments enough to fill over seven baskets. 

I just arrived from the Walk for Life in QC Circle. We marched around the circle to voice our support for life, and to protest the extrajudicial killings, the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old, corruption and other ways our leaders have not upheld basic human rights. 

Archbishop Tagle gave the homily during the mass and he said that it really depends on whose hands the bread and fish pass through. Seven loaves and a few fish were more than enough to feed 4000 people because Jesus was compassionate and full of pity for the hungry. BUT 4000 loaves of bread and fish will not be enough to feed seven people if the food passes through the hands of greedy, uncaring, corrupt, and unscrupulous people.

“How many loaves do YOU have?” Jesus asks. Let us make sure that whatever we have, we let it pass through Jesus’ hands so we can see miracles!