At times we may become frustrated by the amount of work that needs to be done, the massive scale of the need that we face, and the small amount of resources that we have to work with and it seems like no one is there to help us.  No one wants to take responsibility for what needs to be done and they want to push the work on someone else.  Other times we would just rather be a part of the crowd that stands around with a hand out waiting for someone to fill it rather than doing our part to improve our situation in life.

     There has been a lot said about the sense of entitlement that at times infects our society.  Many people feel that they are entitled to receiving the things that they are given in life.  In this entitlement mentality we lose our sense of gratitude for the many gifts that we are given.  We feel very little love for the people that do things for us because of course they were just doing what was expected of them.  We expect sacrifice from others to meet our needs but we are not really willing to make even the smallest sacrifice ourselves.  We have always been taken care of so we just take it for granted that someone will step forward and do what is necessary to meet our needs.  We develop a sense of magical thinking and think that what is needed will be provided without our having to do anything on our part.  This type of thinking erodes our sense of community because we think only of having our own needs met and develop a sense of “every person for themselves” mentality.

     Perhaps there were times that Jesus felt the burden of the needs of the world on his shoulders and he felt very much alone in trying to meet those needs and ease that burden.  After the death of John the Baptist I think that Jesus might have had an experience of being more alone in the world.  Without John, who would help Jesus to usher in the Kingdom of God?  Would his followers ever learn the lessons of discipleship that he was trying to teach them?  Jesus gives an example of unselfish service when he puts aside his grieving the death of John and has pity on the crowds of people that come to him as sheep without a shepherd.  He takes up the role of the Good Shepherd and provides for their needs, healing their sick and teaching them about the Kingdom.  When the hour grows late the disciples come to Jesus and ask him to dismiss the crowd.  He responds to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”  Jesus encourages his disciples to take responsibility themselves and become a part of his ministry of shepherding the people.  Discipleship requires us to unite our hearts with the heart of the Good Shepherd who feels pity for the needs of the people and will do what he can to meet the needs of the people.  Meeting these needs will require us to work and sacrifice if we are to minister to the needs of the people with Jesus.  Jesus does not intend to do all of the work himself.

     In our gospel story Jesus gives instructions to his disciples to be able to address the needs of the many.  Notice how Jesus does not just do it all himself.  The disciples must assess the need, determine the resources and then distribute the blessings among the people, as well as cleaning up afterwards by collecting the leftovers.  Discipleship does not just mean standing around with our hands out and waiting for God to fill them.  We must work with Jesus to fulfill God’s will of blessing his people.  We must be a part of the miracle.

     The Eucharist requires our active participation in the ministry of our Lord.  God intends to feed his people with the abundant life of grace but we are called and commissioned to be the instruments of his blessing and grace.  Jesus is not going to do it all alone.  Everyone must participate in carrying out God’s will to love and serve the needs of humanity.  God will use our gifts and resources to provide the food of eternal life for his people.  He will use our hands to distribute those gifts to others and he will use our hearts to reveal his love to the world.

     We come to the Eucharist as a part of a community of discipleship and there is no room for the selfish demands of entitlement.  We must be a part of the Eucharistic blessings that we hope to receive from God’s table.  We must be a part of the sacrifice if we are to be a part of the salvation.  Eucharist not only meets our needs for abundant life but also teaches us discipleship and calls us to mission within the gathered community.  Only in this way can the Eucharist become a true offering of thanksgiving and of communion in Christ Jesus.