God the True Giver

God is the greatest Provider there is.

1 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, he summoned the disciples and said, 2 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” 5 Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. 6 [b]He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8 They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people.He dismissed them 10 and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.-Mark8:1-10

This is the second miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. It is sad to note that the disciples' answer to Jesus, 'Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?' is still very humanistic. I cannot blame the disciples because, indeed, where will one go to buy food for a multitude in the middle of nowhere? But if this is the second multiplication of the loaves and fish already, then, they should have known what Jesus would most likely do.

We, too, are like the disciples. Sometimes, we believe in ourselves so much. We believe that we have all the right answers. We believe we know better how to ran our lives. We think we are the better captain and commander of our 'ship.' But the truth is, we do not know what is good for ourselves without God. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Although their eyes were opened, they were still far from being a god, far from truly knowing, far from wisdom, and far from truly knowing good and evil. Yes, we inherited the stain of sin, but we never inherited the benefits of what the fruit truly stands for. God continues to pour upon us His favors and graces. These gifts are overflowing. All we have to do is open ourselves to His invitation.

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