The gospels remind us that Jesus, before he taught the people, felt compassion for the multitudes that followed after him. Sometimes he felt it even to the point of forgetting to eat.

How did he put his compassion into practice? He multiplied the loaves of bread and the fish to satisfy their hunger. He gave them food to eat until they couldn’t eat any more, and twelve basketfuls were left over.

Then he taught them. Only then did he tell them the Good News. This is what we must often do in our work: We just first satisfy the needs of the body, so we can then bring Christ to the poor.

from No Greater Love