Embrace Opportunity — Your Weekly Reflection from CMMB
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Today’s reading follows the events we learned about last week in Mark’s Gospel. But instead of continuing with Mark, our Lectionary Cycle directs us to John’s Gospel.
John’s report begins on a mountaintop where Jesus sits with his disciples. Not before long, crowds in the thousands approach. In search of a way to feed them all, one of Jesus’ disciples spots a boy in the crowds with five barley loaves and two fish.
John writes that Jesus took the loaves and fish and began distributing them in plenty to the crowds. He multiplied them in such great numbers that when the crowds were finished eating, extra remained. In awe, the crowds believed Jesus could be king.
The concept of Jesus as king solidifies the crowd’s interpretation of him as a divine being. It also, however, connects to our experience receiving the Eucharist at mass. During the Eucharist we return the nourishing gifts given to us by Jesus. He then, transforms them into his blood and body and sends us off to serve others.
We all have the opportunity to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and multiply the gifts we receive—whether in acts of kindness, compassion or support.
At CMMB, we strive to spread that opportunity to those we serve. One of the ways we do that is through economic empowerment programs, including animal husbandry, the breeding and caring for farm animals.
When a family in need receives the gift of goats, they receive the opportunity to not only better the lives of their own family, but also the lives of others.
The gift of goats can help reduce malnutrition. Their milk is a high source of protein and they help keep homegrown gardens fertilized. At the same time, when goats reproduce, their kids can be sold as a source of income or, in many cases, gifted to other families in need.
When one family is gifted a goat through CMMB, families are encouraged to embrace the opportunity to pay their gift forward. In doing so, it produces a chain reaction in which one family served turns to two, then four, and so on. It’s a process that we are blessed to be a part of in CMMB as we continue our mission, inspired by the actions of Jesus and the call to discipleship.
If you’d like to learn more about the impact goats can have on the lives of a family in need, we encourage you to read about our goat project in Zambia. Launched by community health workers to combat hunger, we are now seeing a decrease in malnutrition in the communities we serve. You can learn more on our blog by clicking HERE.
In grace and peace,
CMMB