Scripture Scribbles: June 22 - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

the Gospel

Luke 9:11b-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."
They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.

the scribble

“As the day was drawing to a close…”

This line catches me today. It is a little detail in the account of the spectacular miracle of the loaves and the fishes on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

The day was drawing to a close.

The expected time for ministry was drawing to a close.

The expected time for Jesus to heal and teach was drawing to a close.

Even Jesus’ best friends were confining his work to their own expectations, timelines and limitations that day.

I am feeling a powerful prompting from the Holy Spirit to notice where in my life I am watching the day draw to a close and assuming Jesus' work there is ending.

Three things come to mind for me. They, like the setting of the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, feel like deserted places where I am worrying I will be hungry and cold when darkness falls.

The day was drawing to a close but…

He was about to work a wondrous miracle.

He was about to transform the deserted place into a place of abundance.

He was about to reveal himself in a new way.

As I ponder this, I feel the Holy Spirit nudging me to release the constraints I am putting on Jesus and to trust him, even as the sun goes down.

He had so much more to do that evening.

He is not finished now.

Today’s devotion was written by Lucia Parker