There as an American girl, Alexandra Scott, who was diagnosed with cancer just a few days before her

first birthday. When she was four years of age she understood that the doctors that took care of her needed money to discover a cure. She decided to open a lemonade stand outside her house, selling glasses of lemonade for a dollar. She raised two thousand dollars that day. Unfortunately, at eight years of age Alexandra passed away. In those four years she had raised over one million dollars for pediatric cancer research. In the last eight years over thirty million dollars have been raised through the Alexs Lemonade Stand charity. A girl, with seemingly nothing but a few lemons, did a great thing. Tonight/Today in the gospel (John 6:1-15) Jesus did a great thing with seemingly nothing. He fed thousands of people with five barley loaves and two fish. He revealed his power. His disciples, and the boy knew what had happened, how the five loaves and two fish were multiplied to feed the multitude. Finally it appears that those who shared in the loaves and fishes discovered where the food came from, and they wanted to carry him off to make him king. However, he walked away. It was not his time, and this was not the manner that his Father had chosen for him to be recognized as the Son of God, the long awaited Messiah. The First Reading from the Second Book of Kings (4:42-44) also records a miraculous multiplication of bread. God uses Elisha the prophet as the instrument of this miracle. Both readings share five common points: 1. food is brought to the servant of God 2. the amount of food is specified 3. the amount of food is insufficient 4. the servant of God ignores the logical objection and commands the food to be distributed, and finally, 5. the crowd not only had enough to eat, but there were leftovers. Both readings reflect the power of God to make something out of nothing. Our Psalm (145) speaks of this generous God, The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. Just as in last weeks readings, the generosity and compassion of God is revealed. We are encouraged to hope in God and trust in his love and blessing. Our Second Reading from St. Paul to the Ephesians (4:1-6), also bears witness to the power of God. Paul tells the Ephesians they were called to the one hope one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all. Who better than Paul could assure them? In his own life he had experienced Gods transforming power from the persecutor of the Christians to the grand apostle to the Gentiles. He experienced in his own flesh the power of God to make something out of nothing his divine grace working a miracle in his life. God has that power to multiply, to transform, and to make something out of nothing in our lives too! In our human condition too often we limit that miraculous power

of God. Perhaps it may be because of fear, fear that once we truly give ourselves over to God he will be in charge and he will do things in us that we do not expect. He will surprise us, but in a way that we do not feel in control. For many of us, that is a nono. Another reason why we may limit that power of God is that we dont trust enough in God. We arent sure whether God loves us enough, or cares enough about us to make something out of nothing. I mentioned a few weeks ago that earlier in my life I was shy and lacked selfconfidence. I remember as a seminarian my Rector of Studies telling me that I would be a great Resurrectionist. I didnt believe him. If he had told me that nineteen years later I would be General Director of Saint Andrews School, a School of twelve hundred students, I would have laughed in his face, or that thirty-four years later that I would be elected Provincial Superior of our Province. How could God do that? I never even dreamed such things could happen in my life. My own fear and doubt could have kept me from those life-changing experiences. Fortunately, the grace of God was stronger than my fear and doubt, and I responded to the opportunities of grace and God did something in me something out of which I thought I was nothing. Thanks be to God that in those, and many other moments, I did serve him faithfully despite myself. I invite you this weekend to take some time to reflect on your own lives and how God may have made something out of nothing for you. I bet God has done miracles in your lives too. He has surprised you, like he did the people who came out to hear him, and whom he fed. Letting go of that fear and doubt have been, and will be, the first step to doing Gods will and revealing his transforming power in and through us. But it depends on our willingness, on our disposition. In preparing the homily I could not help but think of the situation that faces this Parish community. Some people speak of my transfer as if it is the end of the Parish. However, as our readings so beautifully show us this weekend God is generous and loving. God has the power to multiply and transform if we are willing to let go of our fear and to recognize that God answers all our needs. If firmly believe that if good will prevails, Gods will will prevail. I know there has been a lot of upset and protest, but it is not the end of St. Patricks Parish, only the beginning of a new chapter. Just as God worked through Elisha, Paul, and Jesus to make something out of nothing, or so it seemed, he can also act in and through us to do something great for God and make manifest the people and community that we are. If Alexandra Scotts simple efforts that began with selling lemonade can raise over thirty million dollars for pediatric cancer research, there are no limits to what God can do here and now.