First Reading
A reading from the Book of Numbers 11:4-15

MEDITATION OF THE DAY

You give them something to eat. (Matthew 14:16)

Impossible! How could the disciples feed all those people with such a small amount of food? But Jesus had an important lesson: You bring me what you have, and I will multiply it. One illustration of this lesson comes from a reader of this magazine a woman who volunteers at a crisis pregnancy center: “One day, a woman (I’ll call her Mary) came to the clinic telling us that all she wanted was a quick pregnancy test. I ran the test and found that she was indeed pregnant. We talked briefly, and she told me that she had no support at home. She wanted to pursue college and get a good job. A baby would stop all of her dreams. I discussed other options, and she spoke about Jesus being active in her life that he really did have plans for her and her child. “Over the course of the next few weeks, I called Mary several times. She told me how she felt overwhelmed by her situation, and I continued to tell her about Jesus’ love and assure her that I was praying for her. “Then one day, she didn’t respond to any of my messages. Certain that Mary had gone ahead with the abortion, I decided to write her a letter. But before I did, I read the meditation for that day from Abide in My Word ‘Just as God did not spare his Son from suffering,’ it said, ‘we cannot expect our lives to be free from difficulties. However, like Jesus, our lives are in our Father’s hand. He will never abandon us.’ I felt the Holy Spirit had written that for Mary! I decided to include that meditation in my letter to her. On the day she received it, Mary called our center to request an ultrasound and to tell us that she had decided to keep her child. She sounded so happy. She said that the words of the meditation had opened her eyes to God’s will. “Mary found people in her life who cared for her, but even more important, she found the Lord and kept her baby. I was so glad to have played a small role in this.” Like the disciples, this woman gave what she had, and God worked wonders!

Let Us Pray: “Jesus, I give you my life. As you multiplied the disciples’ loaves, multiply my abilities to share your word with the people around me.” Jesus I trust in you.