Homily for Saturday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, we hear the famous story of Jesus feeding the hungry crowd. He did so with only seven loaves of bread and a few fish. It's interesting to note that (although He could) Jesus didn't create the bread or fish. Instead, He used bread and fish from the people, highlighting the importance of our gifts — even what may seem to be meager ones — and offering them with trust that God will do great things with them.

In His ministry, Jesus didn't say magic words or wave a wand to make things happen instantly. Instead, He relied on the gifts and talents, words and actions, of the people around Him. From the outset, the Lord didn't just make us the beneficiaries of His grace; He made us coworkers and sharers in His mission, and we continue His mission today.

May we always be aware that we can and should offer our gifts, talents, and commitment to the mission of our Lord, and may we trust that He will bring our efforts to fruition.