Well, this is a very beautiful and familiar Gospel story today. Jesus takes the loaves and two fish, he blesses them, breaks them, gives it to the disciples, and all who ate were satisfied. And because this is a familiar Gospel story, I don’t want us to miss the radical moment in this story. The crowd comes to Jesus tired and hungry and searching. And what the disciples see is scarcity. This isn’t enough. But Jesus sees possibility. Jesus doesn’t deny the hunger, and he doesn’t shame the disciples for their limits. Instead, he says something simple and challenging, “Give them food for yourselves.”

Friends, this miracle isn’t just about food. It’s about trust. And Jesus takes what seems small and inadequate, places it in God’s hands, and shows that love multiplies when it is shared. Love multiplies when it is shared.

Let me share this little story that helps make the point of the Gospel today. There was a teacher who once asked her class to collect food for a local food pantry, and one child brought in a single can of soup, and then apologized to the teacher saying, “I know this isn’t much.” But at the end of the week, the table was overflowing with goods. Now, that one can of soup could not feed everyone by itself, but that one can mattered because it was part of something much bigger.

That’s the message for us as Christians today. We live in a world that is constantly saying, “There isn’t enough.” Enough time, not enough compassion, not enough resources, not enough hope. And we’re tempted to send people away, the poor, the immigrant, the struggling family, the person who doesn’t seem to fit in easily into our lives. But Jesus says to us, “Give them something to eat yourselves.” And what is he saying? Well, what we bring may feel small. It may be a little act of kindness, a word of welcome, a willingness to listen, a commitment to justice, a gift of time or resources. It may seem small, but in the hands of Christ, small offerings become the sign of God’s kingdom among us. And so today, the Eucharist itself reminds us of this truth: ordinary bread, blessed and broken, becomes life for the world.

I think there’s a beautiful saying that captures this Gospel well. God does not ask us to give what we don’t have, but to give what we do have, even if it’s just a little. Or maybe this beautiful saying from Mother Teresa, as she put it, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.”

What I hope you will take from today’s message is simply this: bring what you have, no matter how small. Bring it to Christ and trust that that love shared will never be wasted.