He Asked us to Feed the Hungry

 

Readings 080226

Blessed be God.

Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.

Come Holy Spirit—fill us with joy,

set our hearts ablaze with Your presence.

Friends… every now and then the Lord gives us a moment that becomes a mirror—

a moment that shows us who we are,

and who He is calling us to be.

Several years ago, after lunch with my wife,

a young couple approached us as we stepped outside.

Backpacks on their shoulders,

bedrolls tied on top,

hunger written across their faces.

“Sir,” the young man said,

“do you have a couple dollars? My wife is hungry.”

I reached into my pocket, handed him a twenty, and said,

“Please… get you both something to eat.”

They walked straight into the Dairy Queen next door.

As we made our way to our car, weaving through the drive‑through line,

a woman rolled down her window and said,

“You shouldn’t have done that.

You’re just encouraging them.

They’ll go buy drugs or something.”

I looked at her—

sitting in a beautiful Denali,

a cross around her neck—

and quietly replied,

“It’s between that couple, myself, and God.”

Because Jesus said,

“Don’t send them away.

Give them some food yourselves.”

He didn’t ask us to judge motives.

He asked us to feed the hungry.

Isaiah cries out:

“You who have no money, come… eat… drink without cost.”

God’s generosity is extravagant by the world’s standards—

freely given, abundantly poured out,

never measured by who deserves it.

Saint Paul reminds us:

“What will separate us from the love of God?”

Nothing.

Nothing can break the love God pours out.

Nothing can stop the mercy He offers.

And in the Gospel—

they all ate,

they were satisfied,

and there was plenty left over.

The hand of the Lord feeds us.

He answers all our needs.

So friends…

are we willing to love with that same generosity?

To give without fear,

to serve without hesitation,

to trust that God will multiply even the smallest kindness?

Because every act of mercy

is a doorway through which Christ Himself walks.

And when we give from the heart,

God provides—

for the one in need,

and for the one who chooses to love.

Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 

Soften our hearts to see You 

in every hungry face.

Holy Spirit, free us from fear 

so generosity can flow through us.

Father, teach us to give without judgment 

and to love without measure.

Let our small kindness become 

Your great abundance.

May every act of mercy reveal 

Christ walking among us.

Amen