Do you ever worry that what you give just won’t be enough to make a difference? The Apostles surely had that same concern. In Matthew 14:15-20, they must have worried, “Will it be enough? How can 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish possibly feed thousands?”
But here we have yet another example of Jesus taking our meager gifts and with overwhelming abundance, providing for people’s needs. He tells the apostles, “Bring them here to me.” They obeyed. They gave what they had. Jesus takes it, looks up to heaven in prayer, and gives thanks to God for their gifts. You know how this goes, they collected 12 baskets of leftovers.
And this is how it goes with our giving. He takes our gifts, however meager we may think they are, and multiplies them to meet everyone’s needs. In praise and thanksgiving to the Father, and enlisting the help of the disciples, He provides for all.
In this event, Jesus demonstrates the sacramental principle behind Stewardship: From→Through→To. From the power and graciousness of God, through Jesus, the Church and His priests, He provides for us.
Everything we are and all that we have are gifts to us from God. How blessed are we?! When we embrace the truth of that, we can’t help but respond. In humble gratitude, we receive God’s gifts gratefully and develop them as best we can. We then share them out of love and justice with those in need.
We are blessed and so we give. St Paul tells us that if we give eagerly, it is acceptable according to what we have (2 Cor 8:12). We give what we can from what we have and trust that God will use our gifts to bless others.
What if we all lived this stewardship principle: From→Through→To? We would transform our church. We would change the world.
Photo Credit: Robert Davis
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