Wednesday 1st week of Advent
"Mt 15:29-37"
Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "How many loaves have you?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish." And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.
Jesus multiplies. Note that He didn't ask, 'How many spare loaves have you got?' He asked about the total. They had seven and they gave seven, even if they thought they were few. They thought the fish were few and too small. But they gave it all anyway. And thanks to their generosity 4,000 people had something to eat. That's what Jesus does: He multiplies. You don't have to be very good at maths to know that, even if Jesus multiplies by a thousand, if you give zero, you get zero.
In our case we also need to consider the fact that whatever Jesus asks from you is something He actually gave you in the first place. Even if He were to ask for your life, remember that it was He who gave it to you. Imagine, for instance, that God gave you a car (and imagine you can drive!) You are test-driving your car and enjoying it when all of a sudden you see Jesus hitchhiking at the side of the road. Would you pick Him up? (Remember that He had given you the car!) He deserves to be allowed in. Don't you agree?
Now imagine that He asks you to take Him to the supermarket, just a short diversion from your route. Remember that you were just test-driving the car, not going anywhere in particular. Would it not be the right thing to do? This is an image of Jesus asking us to let Him into our lives. Since He gave our lives to us He can rightly expect us to give them back. And if He asks us to change our original plan we can be sure that His plan is going to be better than ours.
But there is an even more generous attitude, and a more relaxing approach: give Jesus the key of the car and tell Him: 'You drive! Take me wherever You want us to go.' Then enjoy the trip: enjoy your life with Him.
Mary, my Mother, may I never leave Jesus as co-pilot of your life: May I let Him drive and give Him what He asks for!
