07/29: On multiplying the loaves and fish.

Today's gospel reading is about the miracle of the feeding of 5,000. 

This is not new. In fact, this was a topic in almost every religion class I took at St. Theresa's College. But I think that the first time I gained an appreciation for this story was during the sixth grade. Mrs. Turla, my  Christian Living teacher then, asked the question, "What do you think was the miracle there?" Naturally, for many of us, we responded, "the multiplication of loaves." She went on to explain that it was when Jesus turned the hearts of people from stone to gold as his prayer was for them to share what they already had. They ended up having a surplus of food.

I regained my appreciation of that gospel today. Br. Mike Broughton, very often has teaching moments with me. I don't know why, but this morning at mass, tears were streaming down my cheeks as he spoke about the gospel. Maybe whatever he said struck a cord with me. This was the gospel story that inspired his vocation. The main lesson I got from his sharing was that we all have gifts that God has given to us. These gifts are meant to be shared with others. When we choose to share our gifts, God finds a way to multiply it so that it makes an impact. In the gospel, the boy who shared what little he brought to help feed the five thousand was God's instrument. His choice to use what little he can became the cause for the miracle to be performed.

In the past few months, I've been having "inner tensions" if I'm really doing things right at GK DLSU.  It has been easier for me to think of giving up on an idea when it was difficult. In fact, my work has been hit or miss lately, I think, and not so much of really striving to do well. When I heard the sharing yesterday, I realized that I should not even entertain the thought of giving less than what I can because many people whom I am called to serve do not deserve that.

Instead, I should follow the example of the boy in the gospel. I should ask myself more often: What am I capable of giving? Am I a witness to God's love and generosity to the last, the lost, and the least? Am I a witness to God's grace to the people I meet? How much have I given of the gifts I have to see God's plan work? Have I shared enough so that God can work miracles not only for me, but also for those who have been entrusted to my care?

In our society today, many people continue to suffer from poverty. So many injustices have been brought about by the lack of caring and sharing among people. In the Philippines alone, poverty in all forms has become a plague. But this is not to say that we are living in a society that has no hope. Like the boy who has generously shared what little he had to start feeding the 5,000, we who have been blessed with the gift of education are also called to use our gifts to make our country a better place. 

"For the rich and educated, there is no quality of life, no dignity for them if they don't share their excellence and creativity with those who by virtue of birth have been deprived of these." -Tony Meloto

As a development major, I am called to use what I have learned in the classroom to help raise the dignity of many Filipinos. I know enough to be able to start change in the lives of many poor Filipinos. My energies and creative juices are maximized when I use them to benefit others. I am so blessed that God has given me the opportunity to multiply the use of what he has given to me through my service in Gawad Kalinga. This has been God's way of telling me that there are so many ways for us Filipinos to turn this country into one that we all deserve. Furthermore, this can become a platform for many other nations in the world to rise from their poverty.

The only way for it to work is for us to give. The more we give as we serve, the bigger the space that God has to work his miracles. We don't have to become superheroes, but through the simple use of our talents, we all contribute to creating a society that God has planned for us.