FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF EASTER - Gospel (John 6:1-15) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“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.” (Jn 6:11)

FIRST READING - Acts 5:34-42 

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,

a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,

stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,

and said to the Sanhedrin, "Fellow children of Israel,

be careful what you are about to do to these men.

Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important,

and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed,

and all those who were loyal to him

were disbanded and came to nothing.

After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census.

He also drew people after him,

but he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered.

So now I tell you,

have nothing to do with these men, and let them go.

For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin,

it will destroy itself.

But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;

you may even find yourselves fighting against God."

They were persuaded by him.

After recalling the Apostles, they had them flogged,

ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus,

and dismissed them.

So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,

rejoicing that they had been found worthy

to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,

they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - John 6:1-15

From the Gospel according to John

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.

FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF EASTER - Gospel (John 6:1-15)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today's Word of God, God reveals that Jesus Christ is the true God. He is the God of love, light, and truth. He came into the world to dispel darkness and to remove sin from people. He is life, constantly offering love to humanity. He is omnipotent and omniscient. He sees all human suffering and understands people's hunger, both in body and soul. He always shows mercy to all humans and all creatures He has created, without exception.

In today's Word of God, Jesus demonstrates His power through the miracle of multiplying loaves to feed the crowd. He can do anything. God turns nothing into something. There is nothing that He cannot do. The multiplication of loaves refers to Jesus feeding the human body. It foreshadows His institution of the Holy Eucharist, where He gives His own Body and Blood as food to nourish the human soul. Jesus allowed His disciples to collaborate in His work of salvation by helping to share and distribute the bread to the people. When He asked His disciples, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" and when He commanded them, "Have the people recline." He was teaching them to participate in His mission.

At first, there were five loaves and two fish. He took the bread, gave thanks to God the Father, and then distributed the bread to His disciples so that they could share it with the people. After everyone had eaten their fill, they collected the leftover bread, which filled twelve baskets. Through the multiplication of loaves, Jesus wanted the people to understand how to thank God and to live with a spirit of gratitude.

God calls people to:

• Know how to love, share, and help one another spiritually and materially, as commanded by God: "Love one another as I have loved you."

Follow the example of Jesus Christ, who became bread for everyone to express God's love for humanity. He calls each person to become breadbroken and share with everyone, for this pleases God the most.

• Sacrifice for one another, as Jesus sacrificed His own life to redeem each person's soul.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

19:00 May 2nd, 2025 - Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven