Food Network: Four Ways to Feed the Hungry

Last month Father Stephen Rehrauer described the ethical side of hunger, that we have a moral imperative to feed the hungry. World hunger has reached pandemic proportions. Even in our own wealthy nation it seems to be an unsolvable problem as it affects over 10 percent of the United States.

One of the hallmarks of our Catholic faith is that we are a church of action. We believe we must do something with our faith. We must be about the building of the kingdom. It is not enough for us simply to believe in Jesus; we must also follow his example. We are to spend our lives in the service of others. Not only are we to avoid doing evil, but we must also do good, or we risk committing sins of omission.

So if it is truly a moral imperative that we do something about hunger, what are we to do? The problem is monumental. Certainly greater minds than ours have tried to solve this problem. Even Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you” (Mt 26:11). So do we simply give up in frustration? Absolutely not! When Jesus told his disciples to feed the vast crowds, they responded, “Are we to spend two hundred days’ wages worth of food?” (Mk 6:37).

Jesus’ answer was fourfold. First, he had the disciples take inventory of their own food: “How many loaves have you?” (Mk 6:38a). Second, he gave thanks: “He blessed and broke the loaves” (Mk 6:41b). Third, he had the disciples feed the hungry themselves: “He gave [the loaves] to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all” (Mk 6:41c). Finally, so as not to waste anything, the disciples “took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish” (Mk 6:43).