Introduction

A sign worked by Jesus and told in much detail by all the evangelists is the multiplication of the bread. In all the gospels it is a sign of Jesus' sharing himself and even more so a figure of Jesus' continuing self-gift in the eucharist. What about the disciple? Let us not forget that the eucharist is also the sign and the prefiguration, the token of Jesus' total self-giving on the cross.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
your Son Jesus fed
those who followed him in the desert
and they received as much as they wanted.
May we know and be convinced
that he can fill our own emptiness
not just with gifts
that fill our need of the moment
but with himself,
and may we accept him eagerly,
for he is our Lord for ever.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Acts 5:34-42

But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law highly respected by the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin. He ordered the men to be taken outside for a few minutes and then he spoke to the assembly.

"Fellow Israelites, consider well what you intend to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas came forward, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed and all his followers were dispersed or disappeared. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared at the time of the census and persuaded many people to follow him. But he too perished and his whole following was scattered. So, in this present case, I advise you to have nothing to do with these men. Leave them alone. If their project or activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. If, on the other hand, it is from God, you will not be able to destroy it and you may indeed find yourselves fighting against God."

The Council let themselves be persuaded. They called in the apostles and had them whipped, and ordered them not to speak again of Jesus Savior. Then they set them free.

The apostles went out from the Council rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the Name. Day after day, both in the Temple and in people's homes, they continued to teach and to proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord. Or: R. Alleluia.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord. Or: R. Alleluia.

One thing I ask of the Lord
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord
and contemplate his temple.
R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord. Or: R. Alleluia.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.
R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord. Or: R. Alleluia.

Gospel Reading: Jn 6:1-15

Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, near Tiberias, and large crowds followed him because of the miraculous signs they saw when he healed the sick. So he went up into the hills and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

Then lifting up his eyes, Jesus saw the crowds that were coming to him and said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?" He said this to test Philip, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred silver coins would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a piece."

Then one of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?"

Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." There was plenty of grass there so the people, about five thousand men, sat down to rest. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish and gave them as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten enough, he told his disciples, "Gather up the pieces left over, that nothing may be lost."

So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with bread, that is with pieces of the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

When the people saw this sign that Jesus had just given, they said, "This is really the Prophet, he who is to come into the world." Jesus realized that they would come and take him by force to make him king; so he fled to the hills by himself.