Give them something yourself

“There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” (Matt 14:16)
Perhaps in encountering an impoverished person, we fear recognizing our own poverty and need: the truth that human beings exist fundamentally in relation. This fact is made perfectly clear in the incarnation, the enfleshment of Our Lord Jesus, who is God, needed his Mother. As we pass through our daily lives in the City of Austin, we encounter a vast multitude of people who do not know Jesus and who have never received the bread which will satisfy. The Lord’s words should resound in our ears: “there is no need for them to go away, give them some food yourselves.”

Questions for us to ponder:

1. How do I react when I encounter poverty and the impoverished?
2. Do I recognize my own poverty? Can I name and honestly acknowledge to God the areas where I need help?
3. How have I bought into the lie of the self-made man or woman?
4. How can I reflect Christ’s compassion to those I encounter? Do I take responsibility for my own actions towards the poor?

Today’s readings can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080220.cfm

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(18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Mass in the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite)