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God’s Providence!

The Gospel this weekend consists of the great miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. It is one of two miracles of this genre – a miracle of nature. It was a miracle not of healing (the sick) nor of quality (someone blind receiving sight) but one of quantity. Jesus Christ did not change the fish and bread, as such, but multiplied their numerical value to provide for the needs of those present. They ate as much as they wanted and twelve baskets were filled with the leftovers. Nothing is every leftover from God’s grace for nothing is ever wasted by Him. If grace is squandered the fault lies with us.

Abandonment to divine Providence frees us from anxiety about tomorrow. Trust in God is a preparation for the blessedness of the poor who will be satisfied in heaven. Today the values of being are replaced with those of having. The only goal which counts, for some, is the pursuit of one’s own material well-being. The so-called “quality of life” is interpreted as economic efficiency, inordinate consumerism, physical beauty and pleasure, to the neglect of the more profound dimensions – interpersonal, spiritual and religious well being and our existential end.

SOME STATS ON WORLD POVERTY

About 20,000 people die every day of hunger according to UNICEF.
Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is distribution, technology & resources, not overpopulation. Remember that one of the most populated countries in the world is Holland which is also one of the most affluent.
½ of the world live on $2.50 a day.
¼ of the world do not have electricity.
In the wealthy countries the rich people who are 1% of the world’s population own 113 trillion dollars, that is, 45 % of the global wealth.

GREED… is a Capital Sin it leads to envy and practical materialism. Thus it is written: “He who loves money never has money enough.” One result of greed is envy. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. It is NOT the owning of things or money that leads to greed or envy but the heart’s desires for them. If our heart is set on them then there is no room for others or God.