GOSPEL REFLECTION, FRIDAY, 2ND WEEK OF EASTER, 17 APRIL 2026

John 6:1-15.  In Chapter 5 of John’s gospel, immediately preceding today’s reading, there had been yet another controversy about Jesus and his actions on the Sabbath.  Jesus was challenged by the authorities, and serious threats on his life were made.  After this incident, Jesus and his disciples went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to reflect about what had happened – and likely as a prudent move to prevent the situation escalating.  However, the crowds found out where they had gone, and they followed.  Jesus was now becoming well known for his teaching and for his miraculous acts of healing.  They had traveled quite a distance, and it was now late in the day.  Jesus asked the disciples to make arrangements to feed the crowd.  The disciples protested that doing so would be very difficult, saying there was only a young lad there who had any food – five barley loaves and two fish.  But Jesus told them to get the crowd to be seated.  He gave thanks to the Father, and then had the disciples distribute the food they had.  All were fed abundantly with much left over.  The people responded by recognising this as a sign that Jesus was a great prophet.  And the people were prepared to force Jesus to become their king.  They had only partly understood what Jesus had done.  They wanted Jesus to become an earthly king; they had failed to see his miraculous act as a sign of his divine kingship.  In response, Jesus and the disciples withdrew even further away.   All of this took place close to the Feast of the Passover.

As Catholic Christians, we cannot fail to see Jesus’ miraculous act as a sign of divine abundance and compassion.  Being so close to Passover, we cannot fail to recall that the Last Supper took place much later, at a time close to Passover.  For us, the Eucharistic significance applies to both the divine feeding of the crowd and to the Last Supper.  It is only with post-Easter eyes that we now see this, for the Paschal Mystery gives us a true  understanding of all Jesus’ acts as divine.  If we still see with pre-Easter eyes, like the crowds and even the first disciples, we cannot see his acts as revelations of the divine.  Have we truly understood, in heart, mind, and soul?