Take the Gospel to prayer:
The afflicted are brought to Jesus asking to be made whole and He does not disappoint them. They do not depart from Him but remain and give glory to God. It is unclear if they had come to where He was prepared to stay even a little while, but the story tells us that crowd grew over two days and, later in the text, notes the size to be 4000 adults. Having healed the sick and nourished the faith of the gathered, He then feeds their bodies. With simply what the disciples have on hand, all are fed and excess remains.
This is a story of God's generosity. He cares for all our needs! But it is also is a reminder to us that everyone can be cared for if we share our resources. God's miracles still happen today when we recognize a need and respond to care for another. The resulting baskets of excess are the ripple effect of that response that gets paid forward.
Lord, help me to use my gifts to feed the physical and personal needs of Your children.
