Pity the crowd

THE STORY is told about a little boy who was asked to say a prayer before the evening meal. The boy looked at the food, then proceeded to eat. When his parents asked why he didn't pray, the boy answered: "I already prayed for this food at lunchtime. These are leftovers!"

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In today's Gospel (Mt. 4, 13-21) Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 men, after which they had lots of leftover food. In the beginning, there were only five loaves of bread and two fishes. After Jesus blessed the bread and the fish, there was more than enough food for everyone. A miracle? Yes, but it was more than a miracle. Jesus showed that the real miracle in that gathering was the miracle of sharing-that if people share, there will be enough for everyone. Wonder why a big number of our people live below the poverty line? That's because a very select few have not really learned to share.

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Jesus was moved with pity for the crowd. Have our rich people really seen the poverty around them?

Have our government officials and leaders really seen the suffering of our people? Are their hearts not moved with pity? Do they still have hearts? The people are suffering, and what they need are leaders who have big hearts; not leaders who have big heads, big pockets and big mouths.

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And so it was that sometime last week there was a large gathering of thieves. They even invited their leader to address them. Guess what they discussed? The good of the people, the very people from whom they are stealing. They publicly announced their plans that they claimed would be beneficial to the people.

Pity the people. They are like sheep being led to the slaughter by the very men and women they elected to serve them. When will the lying, cheating, manipulation and slaughter end? When? When the leaders have learned to really pity the crowd.

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For those who want power, for those who hold on to their wealth, for those who could not let go and let God, listen to these words of Martin Luther: "Many things I have tried to grasp and have lost. Those which I have placed in God's hands, I still have." May we all learn the basic lesson in life that nothing and no one stay forever. We are all passing by. No matter what we do, we bring nothing with us when we finally go, except the love that we have shared and given. I still cannot understand how much money one needs in this life for him to be satisfied and come to say "enough!"

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There was a text message I received last week about a Filipino who was stopped at the gates of heaven. Upon checking his papers, St. Peter let him pass right away. When asked why, St. Peter was supposed to have said: "He is a Filipino. He had suffered enough already." Oftentimes, we joke about our sorry state as a people and as a nation, but there's nothing funny about a crowd of good-hearted, intelligent and hardworking people who can't take off from their poverty just because they are burdened by selfish politicians and government leaders. Pity the crowd. Pity the Filipino. How, oh Lord, how -- and when, oh Lord, when -- will we be delivered from our miseries?

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I can't help but be edified by the Filipino "leftover mentality" so evident when we share our leftover food with our guests in the spirit of generosity so that when they go home they can bring some with them. However, I am saddened when I see Filipinos practice leftover mentality by force of necessity and poverty, as when they scavenge leftover food from the garbage. One can't help but ask: Why do others have so much while others have so little?

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Perhaps our leaders can learn from Jesus on how he handled the crowd. First of all, He had compassion and pity for the crowd. He approached the crowd with the intent to serve them, not to use or manipulate them. Second, He had the moral authority to order His subordinates to give them food. In other words, He was credible. Third, He was able to manage the crowd and got them to sit down and His subordinates to distribute the bread and fish. Note that first came Jesus' compassion; second, His credibility; and His know-how only came third. We ask our leaders to follow Jesus' example. Start with the heart, and everything else will follow.

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St. Augustine has a beautiful definition of peace: "Serenity of mind, simplicity of heart, tranquility of soul." This is my wish for all of us as we go through life, and as we go through whatever crisis in life. The basic denominator for peace in our minds, in our hearts and in our souls is righteousness. If we are righteous then nothing should or can disturb our peace. It is in knowing that we have done and are doing our very best for God and for His people; that we can "speak our truth quietly and clearly" and experience that peace which "the world cannot give nor take away."

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Today is Fil-Mission Sunday. Let us pray and remember our Filipino missionaries who have left home, country and family to spread the gospel. We don't have much, but we share. Let us continue to pray for and support our Filipino missionaries in foreign missions.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, give us leaders who have compassionate hearts and who know how to pity the crowd. Amen.