There was drought in the
land, and the tribe had little harvest and sparse water. One day, a man with a cart visited the tribe.
The visitor said that he’d come to make soup for everyone. He asked the chief
to produce the biggest pot and to make a fire in the middle of the village. He
filled the pot with the barrel of water on his cart, and started to cut a
cabbage that he placed into the pot. The people inquired, “Just one cabbage?”
The man asked the villagers,
if they had a spare salt, spare spices, spare vegetables and spare meat or
fish. Everyone said, “Yes” and they hurriedly went to their homes and returned
with what little each had. All these were placed into the pot. That day the tribe had the most delicious
soup that everyone had partaken. The
visitor left, but he was remembered not just for the soup, but for the lesson
he imparted.
Fr Valerian D’Souza at Our
Lady of Lourdes-Glen Eden shared this story as part of his homily on the Gospel
reading on the multiplication of the bread and fish. “They all ate and were
satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets
full. Those who ate were about five
thousand men, not counting women and children.” (Matthew 124: 21)
We often tend to think that
those who have abundance are obliged to share, while those who have little are
exempt. But in the many occasions of seeking donations for worthy causes I have
worked on, those you expect to give, do not; while there are people out of
nowhere who anonymously give. And the little offerings amazingly compose the
bulk of the donations that go to the beneficiaries.
The world today suffers from
drought, spiritual drought that is. All around us, we see wars, senseless killings,
twisted values and sinfulness. Must we surrender to the evilness in the world?
Or we can fill the Cup of Life that heals the peoples’ emptiness of soul?
Each one of us, believers in
Christ, must do our share to help those who thirst.
“Thus says the Lord: All
you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money come, receive
grain and eat.” (Is 55:1-3)
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