When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ John 6:5-9

We were quite early. Usually our young people meet us after they have had their first meal of the day at the homeless day center run by the Franciscans. The name of this place sounds oddly very English; “Teatime at the Priest’s”. I am not sure if this is its official name or the homeless just named it after its nature. They used to serve tea and snacks in the afternoon. Back then, there was more food available for the homeless in the earlier part of the day. Lots of things have changed since then. Restaurants no longer are permitted by law to give food to the homeless. There is nothing available for them until the Franciscans serve food about three in the afternoon. We assumed that most of our youth were there. At any rate, they were not ready to receive us yet. Whenever they come to us nowadays, they give us their full attention. Therefore, we know that the wait is worth it.

The streets were packed today. It is the school vacation. Most of the tourists are Brazilians from other states. There was hardly any empty benches. It was a miracle we found one. Just as we got comfortable, a couple of ladies approached where we were sitting. One of them was older needed the aid of a cane. Our bench had space for two more. We scooted over and they rewarded us with an appreciative smile. They got comfortable and went on with their conversations and we did the same. Just then, Rone came by holding a little box. He is amazing at finding things. Recently he found a stack of beautiful children’s books. He gave it to us to use for our church’s children’s library. On another occasion he found a beautiful porcelain teapot which has found a home on our shelf. This time it wasn’t a thing. It was a sad looking bird. He found it at the foot of a tree. It was not moving and looked hurt. He decided to rescue it before some rat or cat ate it. It looked like a young bird and we assumed that it fell off its nest. Rone tried to feed it with bread crumbs but it seemed too sick to want to eat. None of us knew what to do with it. Rone left the bird with us to eat his first meal of the day. Just then, the woman sitting next to us asked us if we wanted a cup of coffee. We did not notice that these women were having a mini picnic right next to us. They had a thermal flask full of coffee. I instinctively said “no” even though the coffee smelled good. I always refuse things when someone offers something to me. I don’t know why. Mary did the same and so did another complete stranger sitting on a bench next to us. Right then a homeless man walked by and rummaged through the trash can which was close to us looking for recyclable items. The woman offered him a cup of coffee and he accepted. Then she turned around and reiterated her offer to me again. She said that she brought extra disposable cups to share. She came prepared to share her coffee. It was her intention to share. She wasn’t just being nice. This time I accepted.

The coffee was good; slightly too sweet for my taste. I like mine black, strong and bitter. Nevertheless, I liked it for other reasons. The woman then returned to her conversation with her friend. The homeless man continued looking for recyclable items and we went back to our pathetic bird wondering if it would make it through the night. Eventually the two women got up to leave and the they wished us a good day. The older woman commented that her friend now has to drive her home all the way back to the outskirts of the city where she lived. It was apparent that the coffee woman had taken her friend out on a special outing. Rone was sitting next to us at this time and he said that they looked very familiar. He wondered if they were the same people who bought him food once. I am not sure if they were. Maybe what is really familiar about them is their spirit. It bore the essence of the Kingdom of God. We have been meeting people like that quite often nowadays.

I would like to use this simple encounter to reflect on the gospel text above. It is a popular text; the feeding of the five thousand. We have heard this story many times in church. Sometimes the most familiar stories are the hardest to interpret. We become so accustomed to them that we tend to overlook the details. However, it is the details which help us delve deeper into the meaning. This week a cup of coffee has drawn my attention to the young boy in the story. Often times he is forgotten because we tend to focus on the big things. This was the problem with Philip. He was too focused on the big things.

The gospel tells us that Jesus tested Philip. Perhaps the word is an unfortunate one. We think of a test as something burdensome and competitive. We can thank our schools for this. Jesus was teaching Philip something important. Actually, the text is teaching us something important. Philip was aware of the huge problem. He was already calculating how to resolve it. In the end, he resigned to the fact that it was something beyond their means. Most of us can appreciate Philip. The problem is that we do not need faith to come to this conclusion. We just have to be pragmatic. In this mindset, big problems need big complex solutions. A regular person like Philip or any of us for that matter cannot do anything about it. Most of the time we just are resigned to this fact and do not attempt anything at all. Maybe we might spend ample time complaining about the problem and the lack of an adequate solution. Andrew understood the situation as well. He tried to find some concrete solution. He found a young boy who was willing to share. Apparently this boy came prepared to share. He had more than enough bread for himself and was willing to offer what he had to others. Practically speaking, this boy’s offering could do nothing to solve the problem. However, it didn’t stop him from making himself available to be part of the solution. Jesus did teach us that we have to become like a child to fully comprehend the Kingdom of God.

Once we were playing games with our children in the streets when a complete stranger came to us and told us that we had good intentions but we were wasting our time. He assured us that we weren’t going to change the situation by playing games with these homeless youth. Instead we should start schools and training centers for them to become skilled. He went on to say that we needed to get aid from the government and run shelters. He kept going on and on about things we already knew. We are fully aware of the magnitude of the problem but it doesn’t change our reality. All we had was “five loaves and two fish”. Well, maybe not two fish, after all, we are vegetarians. Jesus can do something with our “five loaves”. It is small and may appear insignificant. Nevertheless, according to this story, it is enough material for a miracle.

Everyday we seat next to countless people on these benches while we wait for our children. However, these two anonymous women left their mark. They did absolutely nothing special. They just came prepared to share what they had and their love lingered on even after they left. It was a small and simple gesture but enough to remind us that the Kingdom of God starts with small and simple acts. All Jesus needs is the faith of a mustard seed to plant a tree of Love and Compassion. While thousands look for big solutions for complex problems, we should follow the footstep of this little boy who offered the little he had. We can also learn from Andrew. He was an odd duck. He paid attention to the offerings of a naive boy. Consequently, he became an instrumental figure in this remarkable miracle. It is a familiar story, this feeding of the five thousand but it still has a lot to teach us. It brings us deeper and deeper into Kingdom of God.

As for the bird, we recommended Rone to leave the bird in a safe place near an apartment complex. Hopefully, someone living there might know someone who could help it. He gently placed the bird in a box with a note and went off. He saw a creature in need. He knew nothing about caring for a bird but he knew what it is like to be alone and abandoned. He didn’t have much to offer to this bird. It doesn’t matter. God will take what we have and do miracles with it. The thing is that we need to be always prepared to offer the little that we have.