It will never be enough.
We could give a few dollars or volunteer for an hour or
two a week to help, but would it really make a difference?
Whatever money or time we contribute would be a drop in
the ocean. The need is too great for us to make any measurable
difference; the problem is too big for little us to make
any kind of meaningful impact.
But it would be enough. Enough to make us a part of
something good. Enough perhaps to transform one person’s
life. Enough to remind ourselves of all that we have to be
grateful for. Enough to change us.
Jesus challenges Philip and his disciples to give whatever
they can to feed the thousands who have gathered on the plain.
The best they can come up with is a little boy’s lunch of a few
pieces of bread and a couple of fish. It’s not much—nowhere
near enough, they say. But in Jesus’ hands, it’s enough to make
a difference. The bigger miracle that day may not have been
the feeding of the multitude but the disciples’ new hope in the
possibilities of the simplest act of generosity.
To follow Jesus is not about being effective or successful.
Discipleship is about acting faithfully. Miracles are not about
performing great works but acting out of the humble love of
God to make that love a reality in the lives of those we serve.
God calls us to act out of compassion and mercy, however
inefficient and pointless it may seem. The love of God makes
it enough.

Deacon Jay Cormier

Jay Cormier, a deacon serving in the Diocese of Manchester, New
Hampshire, teaches at Saint Anselm College and Pope John XXIII
National Seminary. He is author of The Deacon’s Ministry of the
Word, and editor and publisher of Connections.