July 12, Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. --Psalm 85:8

Mass readings: Amos 7:12-15 / Ephesians 1:3-14 or 1:3-10 / Mark 6:7-13

Our Poverty; God's Wealth

The famous British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge once visited Blessed Teresa of Calcutta to produce a documentary film on her works of charity among the poor. One night the writer and the nun were looking out over the bustling city, and Muggeridge remarked, ''People will be here in the morning for breakfast, but the pantry stock is low. How will you feed them?'' She answered, ''God will provide.'' And He did -- at the last hour -- as wagonloads of food came rolling in just before daybreak. ''See,'' she said, ''had the pantry been bare, we could have fed the world.''

In today's Gospel, Jesus instructs His apostles to take nothing except a walking stick with them as they evangelize the world. The emptier the cup, the more room for God to fill it.

Prayer: Lord, remind us that our poverty is the key that opens Your storehouse of wealth.