Daily Gospel Reflection for April 13, 2018

Today's Gospel: John 6:1-15 Jesus asks a simple question, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" Philip is probably thinking, “Where? Where!? Are you kidding me Jesus? The real question is, what and how? Have you counted how many people we have here?” You are Philip. This problem Jesus has given you seems insurmountable. But He has asked you. You! You frantically start looking around for answers. You ask your friends. You ask strangers. This is an impossible task. You go back to Jesus with your paltry answer. Some fish. Some bread. Wages we do not have. The charity of a small boy. Pathetic, really. Grown men in the presence of the Son of God, stymied by a meal. But Jesus has a plan - a teachable moment. Every day we are Philip. Every moment when we take our eyes off Jesus and focus on finding our own solution, we are lost. We are faced with impossible tasks. How can I feed 5,000? I can barely feed five. How can I fix this? This wasn’t what I expected. When You said, “Follow me,” You didn’t say I would have to do this! And yet, after all our running around to find a solution to the immediate crisis, we are back where we belong. In front of Jesus, with our meager offering. And it is then we realize, Jesus wasn’t asking for a solution to the problem, He was asking us to trust Him. “Do whatever he tells you.” So, Jesus takes our tiny gifts, our talent, our treasure (sometimes given through then mercy of others) and He makes them miraculous. He takes what we did not know we had, and gives it abundant blessings. He is the answer to the question. Turn to Him and trust.

Ponder:

How often do I turn away from Jesus and try to find my own solution when the task in front of me seems too great?

Pray:

Jesus, help us always to trust in You, especially when our problems seem insurmountable. Let us respond to the tasks in front of us with grateful hearts, trusting in Your loving mercy to provide the solution.

Copyright 2018 Cathy Knipper Cathy G. Knipper is a 2017 transplant from Boston, MA to Amish County, PA where she is finding her way amid cornfields and farmers markets. Wife to Jim, mother to three adult children. Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required