Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

FROM SCARCITY TO ABUNDANCE

[THEY HAD] MORE THAN THEY COULD EAT

Oh generous God, we come before you, acknowledging that we don’t always see your abundance in all of creation. Help us trust in what life provides. Give us the courage to share what we have, turning scarcity into abundance through our faith in your love.

When was a time when you felt that you didn’t have enough to share, but you did so anyway?

Maryknoll Sister Esperanza Principio (center) celebrates the abundance of the Amazon with indigenous farming families. (Courtesy of Esperanza Principio/Peru)

In the United States we can often function with a scarcity mindset. Sometimes we feel like we never have or will have enough despite working hard and living in a country with overwhelming opportunities and resources. However, Maryknoll Sister Esperanza Principio knows what scarcity looks like firsthand with her work in Peru serving Indigenous small farmers in the Amazon Rainforest. She works in Amazon with indigenous farming families. (Courtesy of Esperanza Principio/Peru) isolated areas addressing issues of food scarcity and adaptation to climate change. Much of the deforestation, systematic burning, and mining she sees is perpetuated by a scarcity mindset. But through her ministry, she is able to empower local communities to use the richness of the resources in the Rainforest to lead to betterment of their communities. It is by recognizing the abundance in the Rainforest that communities are able to see hope flourish. (My Blissful Sojourn in the Amazon, Maryknoll Magazine, Sept, 2023)

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone. Jn 6:1-15

Miracles unfold when we work with what we have. Despite scarcity, a seemingly insignificant boy’s small offering of five barley loaves and two fish led to abundance in a large community. Jesus relies on even the most marginalized individuals – demonstrating that even the smallest contributions can have profound impact. As missionary disciples, we may often feel constrained by situations or our limited resources or abilities, yet we are invited to shift our focus from what we lack to what we do have, embracing a mindset of abundance and unity in our communities.

How is the Spirit inviting you and your community to shift your perspective from scarcity to abundance in carrying out the mission of love?

Invite friends over for “stone soup.” Ask each of them to bring one ingredient to add to the soup. As people come, add each of their contributions to the pot to make a delicious meal that you can all share.

Gracious God, as we journey onward, let the spirit of unity and trust in your goodness accompany us. Inspire us to collaborate, sharing our resources to turn scarcity into blessings for others. May our hearts remain open and generous, ever ready to witness the miracles that unfold when we place our trust in you.