Give, Give, Give

“How many loaves do you have?” Mark 8:5

In our world today I marvel at how some people are not satisfied with all the wealth and power they have amassed. They want more, more, more. We need to learn from this and see that in God’s Kingdom it is the ones who have learned to give, give, give who are blessed and are able to bless  others. 

In the parable of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus’ disciples cannot see how the multitude can be fed. “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” they asked Him, and He responded, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.” 

This Gospel story reminds me of Benjie Abad, or Mang Urot, who put up a soup kitchen in 2012 to feed the hungry and the homeless three times a week. It was called Karinderia ni Mang Urot. He cooked the food in his own home, and then brought it to the parking lot of the Bank of Commerce along Quezon Avenue and Examiner st. in Quezon City. He started this with no fanfare and no marketing, but eventually people came to volunteer their time and their resources. When my dad was alive, he would contribute rice and other food. We joined in ladling out soup and talking to the street children a couple of times. Our staff in the office made a project of it and were blessed to share their blessings by cooking the food and distributing it to about eighty people who gathered there. Many spent their birthdays there and found joy in feeding the hungry and having fellowship with people you wouldn’t usually meet in the normal course of a day. 

When the lockdown started and gatherings were not allowed, Mang Urot had to find a new way of feeding the hungry and he started going around to find them and distribute the food every three or four days. When donations kept coming in, he was able to get six people on motorcycles giving out 1,200 relief packs for the homeless inside Metro Manila. Mang Urot saw a need and decided to help instead of criticizing the government for its failures. 

How many times have I not given because what I had was a pittance compared to the vast sea of need I saw around me? During disasters like floods and earthquakes, how many times did I look on in helplessness? Did I not have five barley loaves and two fishes? 

I am just like the people who want more, more, more, if I cannot give, give, give. God provides more than enough for us to share. Let us be His partners in blessing the world!