The miracle of the feeding of 5000 is one of the few stories found in all four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You must believe it's in all four Gospels because the early Church wanted to make sure we never forgot this miracle.

The story goes that a young boy comes forward with almost nothing: five barley loaves and two fish. A child’s lunch. Not nearly enough to solve the problem in front of them. That boy could have looked at the thousands of hungry people and said, “What difference will this make? It’s not enough. Why bother?” He could have kept it for himself. He could have disappeared back into the crowd.

But he didn’t. He gave Jesus everything he had.

And maybe that is where the miracle really began. The first miracle wasn’t the multiplication of the bread … it was the surrender that came before it. Because Jesus didn’t ask the boy for what he didn’t have. He simply asked the boy to trust Him with what he did have.

And that is the question for each of us today:

“What are my five loaves and two fish?”

Maybe it’s:

A little time.

A little kindness.

A little forgiveness.

A little generosity.

A little faith.

We look at the needs of the world and think, “Lord, what I have is too small.” And Jesus says, “Give it to Me anyway.” Because little things placed in the hands of Jesus are never little. And this Gospel is not just a story from 2,000 years ago.

At an event we call The Million Meal Event each year 5,000 people from parishes across San Diego come together. Ordinary people. Busy people. People who simply have offered a few hours of their weekend, just a little of their time. And in those few hours … their “little” becomes two million meals for hungry families.

Five loaves. Two fish. Two million meals.

That’s what happens when ordinary people stop saying, “It’s not enough,” and start saying, “Lord, this is what I have … take it.” Because miracles begins the moment we stop holding on … and place it in His hands.