The snack food industry has perfected the balance of salt, sugar, and fats, and when coupled with just the right crunch, these foods have become irresistible. This concept of perfecting the amount of sweet and salty is known as the “bliss point,” and companies track this so they can create foods that we will never grow tired of eating. When combined with nutrients that are digested quickly so that our stomachs aren’t capable of recognizing when we’re full, you have a recipe for food that will never truly satisfy.
This type of food is a perfect analogy for what the things of the world offer us. We have certain desires, and when we try to fill them with things of the world, we find ourselves consuming nonstop, yet never being satisfied. Whether it’s eating snack food, streaming TV shows, scrolling on social media, drinking alcoholic beverages, or something else, we continue to try to feel fulfilled with all of the wrong things. No matter how blissful something is when we first taste it, that bliss never lasts.
In today’s Gospel we read about Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. After the death of His cousin, Jesus sought a quiet place to mourn and pray. He went off on his own in a boat, hoping for a few moments of peace and solitude. As He disembarked, He discovered that vast crowds had already arrived ahead of Him. Instead of turning back to fulfill His desire for time alone, He chose to stay and minister to the crowd. As evening drew near, His disciples recommended that He send the people away so they could buy something to eat.
Jesus knew what the people truly desired. They came to witness miracles. They wanted to be healed and to have their earthly needs met. They recognized their need for Jesus in that respect. But Jesus wanted to satisfy their deeper, true desire, the need that only He could fill. He wanted to give them the life-sustaining bread, the gift of Himself, the only thing that could fulfill their innermost wants and desires. This is why at the end of today’s Gospel we hear, “They all ate and were satisfied.”
Jesus could have fed the crowd in any way He chose, but He decided to invite his disciples to participate as His ministers. Jesus wants us to be a part of His mission. He calls each one of us to feed others. When we participate in the Lord’s plan in this way, we will be overcome with His generosity. The disciples started with just a few fish and loaves, and ended with twelve wicker baskets full of leftovers. The Lord is never outdone in generosity. When we give the little we have, thousands can be satisfied.
While the world is preoccupied with fleeting earthly pleasures, like finding the perfect bliss point, may we recognize that what truly satisfies comes only from the Lord.
La industria de las meriendas ha perfeccionado el equilibrio entre la sal, el azúcar y las grasas; y, cuando esto se combina con el punto exacto de textura crujiente, estos alimentos se vuelven irresistibles. Este concepto de perfeccionar la proporción de dulce y salado se conoce como el “punto de la dicha perfecta” (bliss point), y las empresas lo monitorean para poder crear alimentos de los que nunca nos cansemos. Cuando esto se combina con nutrientes de rápida digestión —de modo que nuestro estómago no es capaz de reconocer cuándo estamos saciados—, el resultado es la receta de un alimento que nunca nos saciará.
Este tipo de alimento constituye una analogía perfecta de lo que nos ofrecen las cosas del mundo. Albergamos ciertos deseos y, cuando intentamos colmarlos con cosas mundanas, nos encontramos consumiendo sin parar, pero sin llegar a sentirnos satisfechos jamás. Ya sea comiendo aperitivos, viendo series en línea, navegando por las redes sociales, bebiendo alcohol o haciendo cualquier otra cosa, seguimos intentando sentirnos plenos mediante los medios equivocados. Por muy placentera que resulte una experiencia en el primer instante, esa dicha nunca perdura.
En el Evangelio de hoy leemos el relato de la alimentación de los cinco mil por parte de Jesús. Tras la muerte de su primo, Jesús buscó un lugar tranquilo para guardar luto y orar. Se retiró a solas en una barca, con la esperanza de disfrutar de unos momentos de paz y soledad. Al desembarcar, descubrió que una inmensa multitud ya había llegado antes que Él. En lugar de dar media vuelta para satisfacer su deseo de pasar un tiempo a solas, decidió quedarse y servir a la multitud. Al caer la tarde, sus discípulos le sugirieron que despidiera a la gente para que pudieran ir a comprar algo de comer.
Jesús sabía lo que la gente deseaba en lo más profundo de su ser: habían acudido para ser testigos de milagros. Querían ser sanados y ver satisfechas sus necesidades terrenales; en ese sentido, reconocían su necesidad de Jesús. Pero Jesús quería saciar su deseo más hondo y auténtico: esa necesidad que solo Él podía colmar. Quería ofrecerles el pan que da la vida, el don de sí mismo; lo único capaz de satisfacer sus anhelos y deseos más íntimos. Por eso, al final del Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos: “Todos comieron hasta saciarse”.
Jesús podría haber alimentado a la multitud de cualquier manera que hubiera elegido; sin embargo, decidió invitar a sus discípulos a participar en la tarea como sus ministros. Jesús desea que formemos parte de su misión. Él nos llama a cada uno de nosotros a alimentar a los demás. Cuando participamos de este modo en el plan del Señor, nos vemos colmados por su generosidad. Los discípulos comenzaron con apenas unos pocos peces y panes, y terminaron con doce canastas repletas de sobras. El Señor nunca se deja vencer en generosidad. Cuando entregamos lo poco que tenemos, miles pueden quedarse saciados.
Mientras el mundo se afana tras placeres terrenales y efímeros, como hallar ese punto de dicha perfecta, reconozcamos nosotros que aquello que verdaderamente sacia proviene únicamente del Señor.
Maria Riley is a passionate Catholic author and speaker who loves volunteering or playing board games when she’s not writing or mom-ing around with her four daughters. Her award-winning Catholic children’s chapter book series, Adventures with the Saints, is endorsed by her bishop. Visit her at MariaRileyAuthor.com or on social media @mariarileyauthor. She and her family live in Kansas.
Feature Image Credit: BOOM 
Photography, pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-bowl-with-crisps-and-a-woman-in-the-background-reaching-for-the-crisps-12659366/
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
Daily Reading
Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Isaiah 55:1-3 Thus says the LORD:All you who are thirsty,come to the water!You who have no money,come, receive grain and eat;Come, without paying and without cost,drink wine and…
Saint of the Day
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, with Saint Athanasius, affirmed Jesus’ divinity against Arianism, enduring sufferings for the Faith, earning martyrdom. The post Saint Eusebius of Vercelli appeared first on uCatholic.