In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ pity spills out of the Gospel and I imagine He takes our world in with a similar kind of pity. Sheep with no shepherd. But we have a Shepherd and He is teaching us to remember where to look for leadership, for answers, for satisfaction: to Him.
Sheep without a shepherd are wandering. They don’t know their way home. They roam aimlessly. They become heavy with wool so that they cannot see or move. They wander into danger, and they have no order. Jesus sees these people and thinks of shepherdless sheep. Desiring to fill the void He sees in front of Him, Jesus begins to teach the people He pities, filling them with spiritual food. When His teaching is done, He does not stop there.
The disciples feel like He has done enough: it’s time to send the people to find food. However, Jesus does not let them. He is not willing to send them elsewhere for food. He knows a good shepherd would care for all the needs of his flock, not send them out on their own after tending to them all day. Would a good Shepherd allow his flock to wander and perhaps never find anything to eat?
Jesus desires to shepherd and nourish each of us. He wants to be the source of our food.
So instead of sending them away searching for food, Jesus tells the disciples to see what they have: two fish and five loaves. This small portion of food is enough to feed the 5,000! Jesus takes what little we can offer and multiplies it so much so that the new amount of food exceeds the needs of the crowd. He not only feeds them, but gives them enough for future needs.
Jesus is showing us that, with Him, we have more than we realize. We simply need to give Him the things in our life that we feel are not nearly enough to meet the task at hand and He will take those things, bless them and give us more. He will meet our need and have more waiting for the future. Jesus knows our needs. He wants us to stop looking everywhere else. He desires for us to give Him what we have and look to Him to produce everything to meet (and exceed) our needs.
We must remember that through Him all things are possible, even the impossible. He wants to be your source of life, and He wants you to trust that He can work with as little or as much as you have available to give to Him. He wants to be the source of your food, the source of your life.
En el Evangelio de hoy, la compasión de Jesús se desborda del Evangelio y me imagino que Él acoge nuestro mundo con un tipo de compasión semejante. Ve ovejas sin pastor. Pero tenemos un Pastor y nos está enseñando a recordar dónde buscar el liderazgo, las respuestas, y la satisfacción: en Él.
Las ovejas sin pastor están vagando. No saben el camino a casa. Vagan sin rumbo. Se vuelven tan pesadas de lana que no pueden ver ni moverse. Vagan hacia el peligro y no tienen ningún orden. Jesús ve a la gente y piensa en ovejas sin pastor. Deseando llenar el vacío que ve frente a Él, Jesús comienza a enseñar a las personas que le dan lástima, llenándolas de alimento espiritual. Cuando termina su enseñanza, no se detiene allí.
Los discípulos sienten que Él ha hecho suficiente: es hora de enviar a la gente a buscar comida. Sin embargo, Jesús no los deja. No está dispuesto a enviarlos a otro lugar para buscar comida. Jesús sabe que un buen pastor se ocuparía de todas las necesidades de su rebaño, no los dejaría solos después de haberlos cuidado todo el día. ¿Permitiría un buen pastor que su rebaño vagara y tal vez nunca encontrara nada para comer?
Jesús desea pastorear y nutrir a cada uno de nosotros. Quiere ser la fuente de nuestro alimento. Así que en lugar de enviarlos lejos en busca de comida, Jesús les dice a los discípulos que vean lo que tienen: dos peces y cinco panes. ¡Esta pequeña porción de comida es suficiente para alimentar a los 5.000! Jesús toma lo poco que podemos ofrecer y lo multiplica tanto que la nueva cantidad de comida excede las necesidades de la multitud. No solo los alimenta, sino que les da lo suficiente para sus necesidades a futuro.
Jesús nos está mostrando que, con Él, tenemos más de lo que nos damos cuenta. Simplemente tenemos que darle las cosas en nuestra vida que sentimos que no son suficientes para cumplir con la tarea en cuestión y Él tomará esas cosas, las bendecirá y nos dará más. Satisfará la necesidad y tendrá más esperando para el futuro. Jesús conoce nuestras necesidades. Quiere que dejemos de buscar satisfacerlas por todos lados. Desea que le demos lo que tenemos y que esperemos que Él produzca todo lo que satisfaga (y supere) nuestras necesidades.
Debemos recordar que a través de Él todas las cosas son posibles, incluso lo imposible. Quiere ser tu fuente de vida y quiere que confíes en que Él puede obrar con lo poco o lo mucho que tengas disponible para darle. Quiere ser la fuente de tu alimento, la fuente de tu vida.
Nicole Berlucchi is a faith and family blogger (www.nicoleberlucchi.com) and Catholic blog contributor. She has worked in a number of roles in the nonprofit world, but helping people realize their vision and make an impact, seems to be her sweet spot. Nicole owns Coley B. Creative, LLC, a marketing company providing support to small businesses. She is also the author Magnify Love: Unlocking the Heart of Jesus in Your Marriage and Your Life. A native of Philadelphia, she now resides in the Nashville area with her husband, Joe, and their four children. She’s a big fan of brilliant skies, salted caramel with chocolate, books and more books. She loves sharing her journey with Jesus so that others might: Come and see.
Feature Image Credit: Pixabay, pexels.com/photo/herd-of-sheep-on-grass-field-462119/
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The post The Good Shepherd Provides for Our Needs & Beyond
El Buen Pastor provee nuestras necesidades y mucho más appeared first on Diocesan.