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The Polly Papers

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The Feeding of Thousands

They kept on coming and coming, some on foot or by any means of transportation available  First by the hundreds, then by the thousands. Those who had planned to be there already never expected quite so large a turnout. How could such a crowd be accommodated?  Were there enough resources?

This was the scene over two thousand years ago, when Jesus and his disciples fed five thousand souls on a hill in Galilee (not counting the women and children!)   It was also the scene last Saturday, on another hill and spread out through the streets of Boston. They kept on coming, on foot, by train, the T, Uber, taxi, car, ferry and, from far away, by air.  Those who had planned the day for 20,000 saw the number swell to 60,000, then double that. Perhaps as many as 175,000 souls were there; this time very definitely including the women and children.

In a way, it wasn’t that different from that long-ago gathering in Galilee. We too were hungry for the bread of justice.  We too felt threatened by the government which felt foreign to us, just as they had felt afraid of the power of Rome. And, as we dispersed at the end of the day, I believe that we too felt fed and energized to keep speaking and working for a more just and hopeful future.

3 thoughts on “The Feeding of Thousands”

  1. Fabulous day for all involved …. all around the world ! The suffragettes would be proud..
    The tectonic plates will shift when woman begin to organize ..
    Never underestimate the power of Groups….

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