A sermon on Matthew 14:13-21
By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
HCP columnist
A little girl, maybe 8 years old, was standing alone at a rural bus stop during a February winter blizzard. No coat, no gloves, no money, no phone. She stood before the closed bus door shaking from the brutal winds turning her hair into icicles.
The bus driver opened the door. "Get in. Sit in the front seat," he said. "The heater will warm you."
He asked for no money.
The other passengers on the bus were deeply concerned for her welfare. They discussed among themselves what could be done to help her. "We could go buy her a coat and gloves, but all the stores are closed on Sunday evening." "We could take her to a homeless shelter, but there are none around here in the boonies." "We could place her with the Salvation Army, but they are probably filled to the max sheltering people escaping the frigid cold."
There were other "we could" suggestions to help the girl that always ended with a "but" because each suggestion was shot down as impossible to do. A feeling of hopelessness fell upon the passengers.
A well-dressed man was sitting in the back of the bus. He didn't say anything but simply listened to their frustrations. Finally, he got up from his seat and walked to the front of the bus where the little girl sat. He looked down at her, smiled and asked, "Do you know where you are at?"
She replied, "No. I was stolen from my mom. I have no dad. Some bad people brought me here. I am running away from those bad people."
The man replied, "I'm sorry this happened to you. I can't make it all better tonight. If it's OK with you, you can stay with me and my wife where you will be safe. Tomorrow we'll figure out what to do to get you home." As they departed the bus, the man gave her his sweater and gloves. The little girl was cold no more.
Both the Apostles and the little girl were facing what I call a "Five Loaves and Two Fish" moment. That's when you are faced with a problem that seems impossible to solve. You feel overwhelmed. I am not enough to handle what I'm facing.
That's what the Apostles felt when Jesus told them to feed thousands of people with only a paltry five loaves and two fish. They felt powerless like the bus passengers who couldn't help the little girl. All of us have felt at times this "Five Loaves and Two Fish" moments especially when dealing with sickness.
Yet, Jesus did not back down. He ordered the Apostles "Give them some food yourselves." Jesus tells you, "You are enough." You are enough when you have faith in God. Even if your faith is weak at times, God can use that, too. When we give God our little, He can make it more than enough.
Face everything in life with faith. Don't let the problems and difficulties turn you away from Him. The Bible says, “The Lord is with you, while you are with him” (2 Chronicles 15:2.). Stay with God through the "Five Loaves and Two Fish" moments believing that God can use what seems impossible as a way to show forth the fullness of His Love. God is always enough.
St. Paul once complained to God that he struggled with a difficulty he couldn't overcome. He called it a "thorn in the flesh."
Then God spoke to Paul, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’" (2 Corinthians 12:9.) I see our struggles to make sick children well as a doorway opening to God's generous grace that satisfies our hunger for healing.
This beautiful poem expresses our need for God:
Hello God, I called tonight
To talk a little while.
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.
You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own.
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.
Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.
So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!
Fr. Mike Paraniuk is a Priest Chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. His sermons can be heard live over WLRU Radio 106.9 FM on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.