Simple Words of Blessing

Submitted by Diana Durrill

Todays Reading:  Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9:1-17

The following is an excerpt from Joy in the Journey: Through the Year by Michael Card

"How may loaves do you have ?" he asked.  When they found out, they said, "Five -- and two fish."  Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.  Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.  Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people.  He also divided the two fish among them all.  - Mark 6:38-41 

Jesus asks, "What do you have?"  The small amount of food the disciples can scrape together is absurdly inadequate in the face of the multitude.  Yet Jesus is always ready to use our inadequacies.  That is what makes it a miracle!

The rabbinic blessing or barocha for the meal was "Blessed art thou, eternal God our Father, who causes bread to come forth from the ground." After the barocha comes the straightforward command out pass out the food.  Mark does not record the response of the crowd, whether they recognized a miracle had occurred or not.  Could it not be that, even as at Cana, only the servants (in this case, the disciples) knew a miracle had occurred?

APPLY:  Where do you feel absurdly inadequate?  Ask Jesus to give his blessing, and go ahead with what you need to do.