GOSPEL, John (6:1-15)

Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John

 Feeding the Five Thousand

6 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias ² A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. ³ Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. ⁴ Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. ⁵ When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. ⁷ Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” ⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹ “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” ¹⁰ Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. ¹¹ Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹² When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” ¹³ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. ¹⁴ When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

¹⁵ When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

 The Gospel of the Lord

 

 REFLECTION

 In today’s Gospel reading, (John 6:1-15) we find that the crowd, tired and hungry, surround Jesus. A young boy makes five barley loaves and two fish available for five thousand people. (John 6:10) Jesus thanks the generosity and takes the loaves, give thanks and distributes them to those who were seated, as much as they wanted. In addition, he did the same with fish. (John 6:11). The bread was enough for everyone and still some was left over. (V.12-13)

The crowd is attracted by his miracles, but Jesus is prepared to perform a much more wonderful one.

 

The evangelist reports the event beginning by saying. “The Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.” (John 6:4) memorial of the great deliverance wrought by Yahweh for the oppressed people in Egypt and fed with manna.

Jesus prepares to perform a miracle, but first puts the disciples to the test (v.6) by asking Philip where and if he could buy bread for so many. Filipe admits that they do not have enough money to buy bread for everyone. Only one boy had five barley loaves and two fish, which would be humanly impossible to feed the multitude.

Moreover, Jesus prodigiously multiplied them, and after the crowd had been sated, he ordered the Apostles, “to collect the leftover pieces with which they filled ‘twelve baskets’.

In view of this fact, the people consider him “king” of Israel, the “Messiah”. They were far from imagining the identity of Jesus who retires ‘alone to the mountain’, (v.15) to be in the presence of his Father who had sent him to carry out a very different mission.

The bread multiplied by Jesus, symbolizes the Eucharist, where each Christian is invited to be an instrument of solidarity, making it possible to quench thirst and hunger for all.

 

PRAYER

God our Father, who wanted to symbolize in the abundant bread, the salvation made available to all human beings, allow us to receive You in this celebration, by eating together in unity of mind and heart, the Body of your Son. Only in this way will we be able to share what you give us, contributing, so that no one is deprived of this necessary food. Amen.