There appears to be more people panhandling on street corners and pitching tents around town. It's tempting to throw our hands up in resignation and think, "The problem of homelessness is too big; there's nothing I can do."

That is exactly what the apostles thought in today's Gospel reading when faced with thousands of hungry people. This large crowd had been listening to Jesus. They were hungry. It was getting late. The apostles threw their hands up and said to Jesus, "Dismiss them, so they can go find food somewhere else."

Jesus said, "No, you feed them."

They said, "Hold on. There's a lot of them and we don't have much food, just a few fish and some bread." The apostles had done the math, two fish plus five loaves of bread does not equal thousands of meals.  No way could their meager supply of food make a difference to so many in need.

Jesus said, "That'll do." His math is different.

And you know what happened next -- all were fed! It was a miracle.

In the face of large societal problems, like gun control, the war in Ukraine, immigration, or homelessness, we can be like the apostles and basically say to ourselves and to God, "Sorry, too big for me to do anything about it. I'll sit this one out."

Jesus' response to us is the same as to the apostles, "Do something, no matter how small you think it is." Depending on the issue, we can write letters to political leaders, show up at a protest, donate to an organization or volunteer at an organization that is addressing that issue.

The miracle that the apostles witnessed long ago still happens here at Morning Glory. Many individuals doing something small to address a large problem. By donating an hour of time, or a few dollars, or a bag of clothes they are making a huge difference to the people in Kansas City who are homeless.

The message of the Gospel today is, "Do something to help, no matter how small, and leave the rest up to God."