“God will provide for all that we need.” This line from Isaiah (also heard in several of our liturgical songs) summarizes today’s words from Proverbs (first reading) and Luke’s Gospel.

The author of Proverbs 30 is explicit in asking God to ”give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need.” So don’t give me an amount of food that ‘fills me up’ but just enough to blunt my hunger.

The ‘God will provide’ message is entirely implicit in Luke’s description of Jesus sending forth the apostles to proclaim the Kingdom and heal the sick. Jesus’ directions tell them only what they will not have! All they may take is the clothing they are wearing! They certainly pick up the (implicit) message that what they need will come to them along the way through God’s bounty. No doubt, scared by the powerful mission and these guidelines, they stifle their concerns, and off they go! What rock-solid faith in God’s providence and their dear lord, Jesus.

What do these words from two thousand (and more!) years ago say to us? We know something more about God’s providence than the Old Testament writers and the apostles (at this point in Jesus’ ministry) did not know. At his last meal with the apostles before he died, Jesus would take bread, bless and break it, and share it, then bless the cup of wine and give it to them, saying, “This is my Body,… this is my Blood. Do this in memory of me.” We have this wondrous gift of the Holy Eucharist here for us daily. Such an unmatched pinnacle of God’s love and providence fulfills and overwhelms our needs or wants!

Let us pray:

Dear God, keep us mindful and thankful for all you have given us, from our human life to the promise of eternal life with you. May your greatest gift, the Holy Eucharist, always sustain and nourish us on our journey. Amen.