Multiplication of the loaves

APRIL 28, 2017
Friday, 2nd Week of Easter
1st Reading: Acts 5:34–42
Gospel: 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. (…)

D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)

Philip was overwhelmed by the number of people to feed. But Jesus told him to attend to those people’s need. Jesus could have instructed Philip to reduce them in number, such as by sending home those who were stronger and feeding only the sick and the weaker. But Jesus wanted every person fed. Philip was overwhelmed and said: Where in this deserted place can we buy enough loaves of bread?
They found a little boy with some loaves and fish to share. But with so many people there, Philip could only wish heaven still had manna to spare. Imagine the kind of crisis Philip and the Apostles had to go through, as their faith was kind of beaten black and blue. But it turned out to be a big eye opener for them, as they witnessed how the synergy of human generosity and God’s Providence solved a big problem.

Today the world would like to control the number of people. But ‘the end does not justify the means’ is still a binding moral principle. If we must control population growth that has become runaway, discipline is the only way. There is no such thing as free lunch, we are told. As we got freely to this world, we are also obliged to allow others to this earthly abode. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M. Email: [email protected].

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