John’s Gospel speaks about the signs of Jesus. Signs point us to something, or in this case, to Someone – God incarnate. John says, “A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.” These signs gave people hope, and we Christians are called to be a people of hope. But are we?
Perhaps we are like Philip. When Jesus asked him how to feed the multitudes, Philip saw an impossible situation. “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough.” He could see no way to solve the problem and wanted to send the people away. Out of sight, out of mind. We are like Philip when we see the impossibility of the situation and throw up our hands. There is violence, war, broken families, addiction, oppression and abuse, hate and injustice. We are suffering and see no light at the end of the tunnel. We may despair because we fail to consider that God can do the impossible.
We might, instead, be like Andrew. He, too, saw an impossible situation: thousands of people and not enough food. Yet Andrew didn’t surrender to hopelessness. He saw a boy with five loaves and two fish, not enough to feed the crowd, but Andrew brought it to Jesus anyway. It’s as if he said, “This isn’t enough food, but maybe you can do something with it.” And of course, Jesus performed a miracle, multiplying the loaves and fish so that the multitudes were fed with food left over.
Andrew and Philip face the same problem. Andrew was the one who sees something small and leaves room for God to work. He hoped in an impossible situation.
Every day we face impossible situations. It may be that God has called you to serve Him in a way you feel unqualified for. It’s out of your comfort zone and you don’t have the necessary skills. Philip would say, “It’s impossible. I can’t do it.” Andrew would say, “I have so little ability. What can you do with my inadequacy?”
God desires to show us signs of love during the difficulties of our lives. He calls us to hope when faced with the impossible. Do we believe that God (and only God) can fix this? Do we trust in God or do we whine about the impossible? Do we frantically try to fix things ourselves? Do we have hope during times of trial? Is that hope in God rather than in ourselves?
John tells us that Jesus had the people recline so they could receive His bounty. Sometimes we are called to sit and receive rather than grasp. God is always present. God always loves. God’s perfect timing will bring an end to all suffering.
Watch for God’s signs. The five loaves and two fish that were pitifully inadequate by themselves, through the power of God, were multiplied to bring abundance to all. Hope in God and wait for His response.
St. Andrew and St. Philip, pray for us!
Daily Reading
Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
Reading 1 Acts 14:19-28 In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing…
Saint of the Day
St. Bernardine of Siena
St. Bernardine of Siena
Feast date: May 20
The Catholic Church honors St. Bernardine of Siena on May 20. A Franciscan friar and preacher, St. Bernardine is known as “the Apostle of Italy” for his efforts to revive the country’s Catholic faith during the 15th century.Bernardine Albizeschi was born to upper-class parents in the Italian republic of Siena during 1380. Misfortune soon entered the boy’s life when he lost his mother at age three and his father four years later. His aunt Diana cared for him afterward, and taught him to seek consolation and security by trusting in God. Even at a young age, Bernardine demonstrated a remarkable concern for the poor as an outgrowth of his love for God. Having become accustomed to fasting, he preferred at times to go without any food in order to help someone in greater need. From the ages of 11 to 17 he focused on his studies, developing the eloquence and dedication that would serve his future work as an evangelist. Before becoming a preacher, however, Bernardine spent several years ministering to the sick and dying. He enrolled in a religious association that served at a hospital in the town of Scala, and applied himself to this work from 1397 to 1400. During that time, a severe plague broke out in Siena, causing a crisis that would eventually lead to the young man taking charge of the entire hospital. Inside its walls, up to 20 people were dying each day from an illness that also killed many of the hospital workers. The staff was decimated and new victims were coming in constantly.Bernardine persuaded 12 young men to help him continue the work of the hospital, which he took over for a period of four months. Although the plague did not infect him, the exhausting work left him weak and he contracted a different sickness that kept him in bed for four months. After recovering, he spent over a year caring for his aunt Bartholomaea before her death. Then the 22-year-old Bernardine moved to a small house outside the city, where he began to discern God’s will for his future through prayer and fasting. He eventually chose to join the Franciscans of the Strict Observance in 1403, embracing an austere life focused on poverty and humility. During this time, while praying before a crucifix, Bernardine heard Christ say to him: “My son, behold me hanging upon a cross. If you love me, or desire to imitate me, be also fastened naked to your cross and follow me. Thus you will assuredly find me.” After Bernardine was ordained a priest, his superiors commissioned him to preach as a missionary to the Italians who were falling away from their Catholic faith. The Dominican evangelist St. Vincent Ferrer, just before leaving Italy, preached a sermon in which he predicted that one of his listeners would continue his work among the Italians – a prophecy Bernardine heard in person, and went on to fulfill.Bernardine’s personal devotion to God, which amazed even the strict Franciscans, made his preaching extremely effective. He moved his hearers to abandon their vices, turn back to God, and make peace with one another. He promoted devotion to the name of Jesus as a simple and effective means of recalling God’s love at all times. When other priests consulted him for advice, Bernardine gave them a simple rule: “In all your actions, seek in the first place the kingdom of God and his glory. Direct all you do purely to his honor. Persevere in brotherly charity, and practice first all that you desire to teach others.”“By this means,” he said, “the Holy Spirit will be your master, and will give you such wisdom and such a tongue that no adversary will be able to stand against you.” Bernardine’s own life attested to this source of strength in the face of trials. He patiently suffered an accusation of heresy – which Pope Martin V judged to be false – and refused to abandon his bold preaching when a nobleman threatened him with death.But Bernardine was also widely admired throughout Italy, and he was offered the office of a bishop on three occasions. Each time, however, he turned down the position, choosing to fulfill the prediction of St. Vincent Ferrer through his missionary work. Bernardine preached throughout most of Italy several times over, and even managed to reconcile members of its warring political factions. Later in his life, Bernardine served for five years as the Vicar General for his Franciscan order, and revived the practice of its strict rule of life. Then in 1444, forty years after he first entered religious life, Bernardine became sick while traveling. He continued to preach, but soon lost his strength and his voice. St. Bernardine of Siena died on May 20, 1444. Only six years later, in 1450, Pope Nicholas V canonized him as a saint.