He Began To Teach Them

January 6, 2009

Christmas Weekday

In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34

Piety

God, help us to follow your call where ever it may lead us and whatever personal cost it may require. Jesus, help us to see the hunger in the eyes of those around us and respond to it with humility and obedience inspired by your example that sets aside our personal agenda and replaces it with yours. Holy Spirit, strengthen us to take the actions that God’s love requires of us. Amen.

Study

As the meaning of the Christmas season manifests itself in our minds, our hearts and our souls, today we see what is made possible by the baby who was born on the outskirts of Bethlehem 2009 years ago.

Jesus came because God loved us too much to leave us to our own ends. No matter what our mistakes might have been, what they are today or what they will be tomorrow, God did not want to leave us to the ends which we would choose. So, out of his love for us, to wipe the proverbial slate of sin clean, he sent his Son to teach us and redeem us.

None of our sins were going to be obstacles for God or Jesus to carry out this plan. Herod may have just executed John the Baptist in the story passed down to us from St. Mark, but that was not going to stop Jesus. He wanted to go away to a deserted place and rest – and pray for a while. But the contemplative prayer had to wait as the crowds gathered. As much as Jesus would prefer to grieve for his cousin, when he saw the crowd assembled, he was moved with pity and grief for them as well. Without John, they had no one to follow – for they were like sheep without a shepherd. So Jesus stepped up to the position he was destined to occupy.

St. Mark does not tell us much of what Jesus said that fateful day when his public ministry really began but he really showed what Jesus did. Not only did Jesus put his personal grief last, but he also performed the first of the many miracles passed down to us in what could be termed The First Supper. In this action or breaking the bread and feeding the five thousand people, the entire ministry of Jesus and even his passion is foreshadowed.

Action

What are you called to do? What situation is God placing before your eyes today?

Are you willing to accept that assignment with the humility and obedience that Jesus exhibited? Are you willing to follow Jesus to a deserted place and any hour of the day or night, ignoring any personal cost to your comfort and security?

Today, Jesus saw the hunger in the eyes of the people gathered around him and he acted. In the January monthly letter from Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services, he addresses the continuing hunger in the eyes of people today. He writes:

For months we’ve been hearing about the global food crisis. The cost of food and fuel increased suddenly and sharply, making it harder for poor people around the world to feed their families. In dozens of cities, people took to the streets in protest.

Now the focus is on the collapse of the world economy. Food and fuel prices on global markets have fallen nearly as precipitously as they rose.

So, is the global food crisis over?

Unfortunately, no. It has merely entered a new phase. We are now confronted with an environment of price volatility and uncertainty. Who knows where prices will be a year from now?

The letter goes on to point out that we must act now to avoid crisis in the future. A key part of a food security strategy must be an increased investment in farmers who cultivate small plots, particularly those who grow staple crops. Mr. Hackett explains that we can help farmers obtain badly needed fertilizer to maximize their harvests and connect farmers to markets where they can receive a good, fair price for their crops. In the midst of the food crisis, CRS launched or expanded several initiatives with these goals in mind, including programs seeking to increase production of rice in West Africa, navy beans in Ethiopia, chickpeas in Tanzania and cassava across the continent. Mr. Hackett concludes with this call to action:

And we must never forget the poorest of our brothers and sisters. We must provide those who are most vulnerable–such as orphans, the disabled, the elderly–with a safety net that would include food distribution, vouchers that could be exchanged for food and cash or food for work. These programs are particularly important in urban areas, where the desperately poor can’t grow food and so have no recourse when they exhaust their resources.

As we begin this New Year, it is an auspicious time to recommit ourselves to this fight to end hunger around the world.