The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
I grew up in circumstances that often required my family to make something out of nothing. It was a useful and admirable skill, but having to use it so frequently usually left me on edge. I developed a scarcity mindset that can still be hard for me to break out of, even after years away from that life situation. Jesus always provided for me and my family even in the moments when all seemed lost, but my learned response was to grow anxious as things became tight and to be suspicious of His providence and timing.
The readings today place my experience in the context of human history; maybe it does the same for you. For millennia, humanity has taken stock of what it has, looked around at all that needs to get done, and then stared incredulously at Jesus, asking, “How?”
I’ve done it more times than I can count. Yet He is as patient with me as He was with His disciples after His sermon in today’s Gospel. He knows we will do this and He relishes the opportunity to amaze us with His power, rooted in a deep love for us.
Why do we worry about how far our provisions or abilities will stretch if Jesus always pulls through for us, even if in ways we don’t expect? Is it because sometimes we reach the cliff's edge, forced to see how far we’ll fall if we fail? Is it because there have been times when we did fall, even if Jesus caught us before we hit the ground? Is it because sometimes we have hit the ground, even though Jesus was there to heal our wounds? The meaning we tend to make out of these moments is that because we reached the point of fear and worry, Jesus didn’t care. Satan feeds off that feeling and magnifies it by encouraging us to rely on our own wits and senses to prepare for the next disaster. All that does, though, is cut us off from the safety and security that Jesus promises, no matter the odds.
The truth is that even in our fear and anxiety, His grace is enough for us. When it’s hard to believe, we only need to ask Him for help to trust Him. This week, take 30 minutes to reminisce with the Lord on how He helped you make a way out of no way—even if you sustained a few scratches and scars in the process. Remember that you are here. You are fed, clothed, housed, and loved. If there is something that causes you to fret today, remember the days that He delivered you to a resolution more splendid than you could have imagined. And then trust in His saving power.
Perpetua Cannistraro works as a book publicist in Boston, Massachusetts. She loves the Lord, TV, Disney princesses, books, 90s-00s teen pop, and the color pink. Say hi on Instagram!