It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food

Acts 6:1-7, Jn 6:16-21. Jesus makes sure that all who call upon the Lord God will have their needs met. Not only will they hear the goodnews and experience God in prayer, they will also have their physical needs satisfied. Today's first reading presents us with the details of the conflict that occurred in the early Church with the Hellenists, that is, the Greek speaking Jews. They complained that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. Note, the difference between the Hellenists and the Jews was that Hellenists were born in Greek speaking environs and some intermarried with Greek speakers, as such they spoke Greek while the Jews, born in their own land, spoke Hebrew. The Jews discriminated against their own brothers and sisters in daily distribution because, they grew up in another land and some have mixed blood. Some of the Hellenists can speak Hebrew, but speaking Hebrew with Greek ascent already made them victims of neglect. This neglect of the Hellenists in the daily distribution of meals led to the election of seven Deacons in order to take care of the social needs of the believers.

The Apostles teaches us that we must not neglect the social or material needs of our communities for granted. If left unattended, they could undermine the work of God. We must balance our spiritual and material needs because both are important. We must not forget who we are or neglect our primary calling. The mundane should not distract us from our mission and vocation as Peter rightly noted: “It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food…we will hand over this duty and devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word of God.” In today's Gospel, Jesus shows His care for His disciples as they wondered if they will make it on boat to their destination because of the wind. The boat is the representation of the Church, with the disciples representing the faithful people of God. The storm and the waves represent the many trials and challenges facing the Church. The presence of Jesus prevents us from losing sight of our destination, for He is with us always. In His word, we find courage as He says to us: "It is I; do not be afraid.

May the voice of the Lord find a response in our hearts and His word never be silenced by rejection or indifference in our lives! Amen!! Good morning and happy weekend!!!