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.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for the seminarians who will be ordained as priests, for the protection of the vocation God has placed in their hearts.
The reflection today comes from the late Pope John Paul II:
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Trust in him, like the boy mentioned in the Gospel story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. The Evangelist John tells us that a great crowd was following Jesus. Seeing all those people, he asks the Apostle Philip: "How are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?". This was a challenging question: in those circumstances it was hard to find food to satisfy such an enormous number of people. The disciples rightly replied: "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little". In fact, Jesus wanted to put their faith to the test. He was not relying on an adequate supply of material goods but on their generosity in offering the little they had.
Generosity: this sentiment welled up in the heart of a boy who came forward and offered five barley loaves and two fish. Too little, the disciples thought: "What are they among so many?". Jesus appreciated the gesture made by this boy and, taking the loaves, he gave thanks and distributed them to the people, as he did with the fish. What human reason did not dare to hope became a reality with Jesus thanks to a young boy’s generous heart.
This is the important task entrusted to you: like the boy in the Gospel, generously take the lead in a change that will mark your future, that of the Church in Rome and of the whole city. Prayer and contemplation, silence and personal ascesis will help you grow in faith and in the awareness of your apostolic duty. To do this, you must become conscious of what you possess, of your five loaves, your two fish, that is, of the resources of enthusiasm, courage and love that God has instilled in your hearts and in your hands, precious talents to be invested for others.
Rediscover the value of your person, where God's Spirit dwells as in a temple: learn to listen to the voice of the One who came to dwell in you through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, to the voice of the "Paraclete" — as Jesus calls him (Jn 14:16,26) — of him who teaches and supports, defends and comforts, the soul's sweet Guest.
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, which dispels every fear from your heart and offers inner freedom, you will be able to impress on the city that "extra soul" of which my venerable Predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI, used to speak, by making your contribution to realizing its full potential.
The Spirit awakens the desire for truth in every heart. The truth which sets us free is Christ, the only one who can say: "I am the truth" (Jn 14:6), and adds: "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (Jn 8:31-32).
It is important that you all become impassioned seekers of the truth and its fearless witnesses. Never resign yourselves to lies, falsehood or compromise! React strongly to those who attempt to ensnare your intelligence and lure your heart with messages and suggestions that make you slaves of consumerism, disordered sex and violence, to the point of being driven into the void of loneliness and the meanders of the culture of death. Detached from truth, every freedom becomes a new and more burdensome slavery.
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Take care and God Bless.
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