Jesus has placed His disciples in a fantastic position. On one side there is the human race, which continually grows hungry and has a daily need for food. On the other side is the Lord, Who has a continual desire to feed, nourish, and even satisfy hungry humanity (see Ps 81:11, 17; Mt 14:20). God has placed us, as His disciples, between Him and the rest of mankind, and charges us with feeding His people (Mt 14:16; Jn 21:15ff). We are God's middlemen, His ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20), charged with bringing the two parties together.

This is an ambassador's dream: one party with an unceasing demand, and the other Party with an unlimited ability and unceasing desire to supply that demand (see Lk 22:15). In the business world, candidates would compete for this kind of job opportunity and would flock en masse to interview for it, even if there were tough conditions involved. Most salespeople would eagerly tackle this challenge, aggressively and creatively finding ways to get the parties together. In the religious world, we don't seem to respond as eagerly at this prospect of being ambassadors.

Let's ask the Lord to give us His heart, a heart moved with compassion for all people (Mt 14:14). He constantly desires to fill the mouths of hungry humanity with His Word and Eucharist (Ps 81:11), whether or not they appreciate Him. He will give us His heart for His people in such a way that we will find rest (Mt 11:29) rather than distress (Nm 11:15) in feeding them. "Go out now and take your place" (Acts 5:20) as God's ambassadors.

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 11, 2009

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