John 6:1-15

Acts 5:34-42

Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

John 6:1-15

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.

A large crowd followed him,

because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.

Jesus went up on the mountain,

and there he sat down with his disciples.

The Jewish feast of Passover was near.

When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,

he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”

He said this to test him,

because he himself knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered him,

“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough

for each of them to have a little.”

One of his disciples,

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;

but what good are these for so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”

Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.

So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,

and distributed them to those who were reclining,

and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,

“Gather the fragments left over,

so that nothing will be wasted.”

So they collected them,

and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments

from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,

“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off

to make him king,

he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have provided me with much more than earthly bread. You have given me heavenly bread and the gift of eternal life. I thank you today for the wondrous gifts of your Sacraments and will strive to bring others to share in them.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Feast of Passover: In the context of the second Passover of Jesus’ public ministry, Jesus works his fourth sign and multiplies the five loaves of bread and two fish for the five thousand. “The sign takes place in the context of the Passover and anticipates, in its very language (John 6:11, 23), the last Passover that Jesus will celebrate with his disciples” (Hahn, “Temple, Sign, and Sacrament,” 124). The yearly celebration of Passover recalls and makes present the great act of salvation the Lord did through the leadership of Moses. After the Passover in Egypt, Moses led the people into the wilderness and to the mountain of God. Like Moses, Jesus has led the people into the wilderness and up the mountain. Jesus will bring about the fulfillment of the Passover and establish the New Passover. Moses led the people from the slavery of Egypt to the border of the Promised Land. Jesus, through his great act of salvation, leads us from the slavery of sin to the freedom of the children of God.  

2. New Manna: As we journey toward the heavenly promised land, we are led through the wilderness of earthly life by the New Moses, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And just as the people of Israel needed bread for their earthly journey, we also need bread for our journey. The miracle and sign of the multiplication of the loaves of bread looks back to the feeding of Israel in the desert with manna. The manna descended each morning and was enough to feed the people for a day. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask: “Give us this day, our daily bread.” We ask God not only to sustain us and meet our physical needs, but we also ask for the supernatural bread of life. As Jesus will teach in the synagogue at Capernaum: “Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51).

3. This is the Prophet: When the disciples gathered the fragments left over, they gathered enough to fill twelve wicker baskets. And when the people saw this sign, they proclaimed: “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world” (John 6:14). Like the feast of Passover and the manna, this also has to do with the connection between Moses and Jesus. When he gave his last will and testament to Israel on the plains of Moab, Moses promised that the Lord would send a prophet like himself: “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kindred; that is the one to whom you shall listen” (see Deuteronomy 18:15). The people had waited centuries for the ultimate fulfillment of that prophecy of Moses. And so, when Jesus works the sign and multiplies the bread for the people in a deserted place, they begin to think that Jesus is the prophet-like-Moses sent by the Lord. The question is: “Will they listen to the words of Jesus?” The Lord said to Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kindred, and will put my words into the mouth of the prophet; the prophet shall tell them all that I command” (Deuteronomy 18:18). In a few days we will see how the crowds react to the words of Jesus about the Eucharist.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your heart is moved with pity and compassion for your people. You know their deepest needs and my needs. You give yourself without reserve. Help me to imitate your self-offering today and serve those around me.

Living the Word of God: Can I spend time this week in Eucharistic adoration? If so, what do I long to bring to prayer? Is there a loved one who is suffering? Is there a familial relationship that needs to be repaired? Can I bring this to prayer and figure out the next steps?