Spare Ribs

One of the strangest anomalies puzzling geneticists today is the occurrence of an extra rib in sixteen percent of Eskimo men.

It seems, at times, that the Lord likes to give a little extra of some things - rather like a photographer that takes an extra picture of a group, "just in case." After Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish, there were twelve baskets of food left over (see Mark 6:43). When he fed the four thousand with seven loaves and a few fish, there were seven basketfuls left over (see Matthew 15:37). Generosity is a charateristic of love: and God's abundance is the characteristic of his munificence, "that they may have life, and have it to the full" (Jn 10:10).

Our God is more than a God of sufficiency, he is a God of abundance. We have more air than we need to breathe, more food than we need to survive, more time than we need to become holy, more strength than we need to suffer, and more grace than we need to be saved. Our problem is that we don't make use of this superabundance as well as we could and should. In fact, we usually aren't even grateful and we waste it, not "collecting basketfuls."

Let us make our entire life a prayer of bountiful praise and thanskgiving for a bountiful God full of bountiful love for us!

This excerpt is from the book One-Minute Meditations for Busy People, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/video recordings can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408 or www.Catholicbooks.net