Mar 2015 The Road to Daybreak A Spiritual Journey by Henri J M Nouwen

Continue from Small People and Small Things Being at L'Arche helps one to understand the Gospels in a new way. Today we read the story of the multiplication of bread. "Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, 'Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?' ... Andrew said, 'Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that among so many?'" (John 6:5-9). For Jesus, the small gifts of an insignificant boy were enough to feed everyone and even have twelve large baskets with scraps left over. This again is a story about the value of the small people and the small things. The world likes things to be large, big, impressive, and elaborate. God chooses the small things which are over-looked in the big world. Andrew's remark, "five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that among so many?" captures well the mentality of a calculating mind. It sounds as if he says to Jesus, "Can't you count? Five loaves and two fish are simply not enough." But for Jesus they were enough. Jesus took them and gave thanks. That means that he received the small gifts from the small people and acknowledged them as gifts from his heavenly Father. What comes from God must be enough for all the people. Therefore, Jesus distributed the loaves and the fish "as much as they wanted." In giving away the small gifts from the small people, God's generosity is revealed. There is enough, plenty even, for everyone - there are even many leftovers.

- To Be Continued - © Copyright Shalom 2015. All rights reserved.