A commentator on these readings posed a beguiling question: “how much is enough?”  And of course, he picks that up from Philip’s statement to Jesus about feeding the large and hungry crowd. “The bread and fish we have is not much — nowhere near enough.”

Isn’t that a recognizable take on so many things in our time? The needs are so great — for food, livable housing, equality of opportunity, health care, family stability, safe neighborhoods, education. Would the little help any one of us could give make a real difference? The problems seem too big to have any meaningful impact. Would anything ever be enough? 

Seemingly not, but viewed from varying angles, perhaps it would.

Could it be that our contribution would be enough to include us in some larger cause? Perhaps it would be enough to improve even one person’s life. Perhaps it would be enough to make me recall all that I have to be grateful for. Perhaps it would be enough to shift something around inside my own self.

We hear Jesus challenging Philip and his disciples to give whatever they can to feed the thousands gathered there on the grass. And Philip’s answer: “the best we can do is a little boy’s lunch of some slices of bread and a couple of fish. It’s not much, nowhere near enough.”

Put in Jesus’ hands, it does become enough; miraculously, he multiplies those loaves and fishes. But might there have been other miracles taking place? For instance, the disciples’ new hope in the possibilities of the simplest act of generosity, or the widening out of their vision so as to see the expanding effects of the little part they are playing.

Following Jesus is not always about being effective or successful. It is about acting trustfully and generously. Miracles are not always about performing great works, but acting out of the motive of God’s love, doing things to make that love come alive in the lives of those we live with, those we serve.

God calls us to act out of compassion and mercy, however inefficient and purposeless it can seem to be. Are these lesser efforts enough? As with Philip and the disciples — and indeed as with Vincent’s Family — they can be enough when they channel the love of God flowing through them.