FAUSTI "Jesus went beyond the Sea of Galilee" There is a break in the story: in the previous scene Jesus was in Jerusalem, now we find Him in Galilee. It is the beginning of the new exodus, the exit from the slavery of sin to the freedom of the Son. Moses went up to the mountain, where the ten Words of Life were given. Now the Word itself will be given as the Bread of Life. Only on this mountain can one live the freedom offered by God... Jesus does not raise his eyes towards the Father, because He always turns them towards Him, to carry out His own work. He raises His eyes to His brothers and sisters, because He has placed Himself below them, He has become the smallest and most servant to all. It takes two hundred denari, two hundred working days, to get this bread of sweat. The disciple ignores "where" the bread that Jesus is going to give comes from. It is not to be acquired with difficulty: it is a gift from the Father to the Son, who in turn shares it with his brothers and sisters. Jesus replaces the violent economy of appropriating to possess with that of the Son who gives as he receives and loves as he is loved. In the gift of bread the disciples have an important role to play. They are on the mountain with Jesus, they make their proposals, they receive the order to accommodate the crowd, and, in the end, collect the surplus. At the center is the gesture of Jesus, which they will continue to do in His memory. A little boy, insignificant, is at the origin of the gift for all. This little one has put his bread in the service of others. It is the image of Jesus, the Son who came to serve and give His life for His brothers and sisters, calling His disciples to do the same. "Taking the bread", "giving thanks" and "distributing" are the words of the Eucharist, which restore to each bread its profound reality. A The disciples carry out the order and disperse among the crowd to gather this surplus. In fact, there is everywhere, because everything was created through the Son and is in Him, the life of all that is: The Community of the Disciples is not simply the guardian of this surplus: it is constituted by his search for it everywhere. Above all, there is an overflowing fullness, which indicates the blessing of God. Twelve are the months of the year...A perfect quantity of shared bread abounds, embracing the totality of time and people. Jesus does not use bread to enslave people, but He serves them to free them.
Acts of the Apostles 5,34-42. 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 them, "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 Messiah, Jesus. Psalms 27(26),1.4.13-14. 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?
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.
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. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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 (bit)." 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.
Words of the Holy Father The episode arises from a concrete fact: people are hungry and Jesus involves his disciples so that this hunger may be satisfied. To the crowds, Jesus did not limit himself to giving this – he offered his Word, his consolation, his salvation, finally his life –, but he certainly also did this: he took care of food for the body. God’s love for humanity hungry for bread, freedom, justice, peace, and above all his divine grace, never fails. Jesus continues even today to feed, to make himself a living and consoling presence, and he does so through us. Faced with the cry of hunger – every kind of “hunger” – of so many brothers and sisters in every part of the world, we cannot remain detached and calm spectators. The proclamation of Christ, the bread of eternal life, requires a generous commitment of solidarity for the poor, the weak, the last, the defenseless. (Angelus July 29, 2018) Jesus saw the crowd, felt compassion for them and multiplied the loaves; he does the same with the Eucharist. And we believers who receive this Eucharistic bread are driven by Jesus to bring this service to others, with the same compassion. This is the path. (General Audience, August 17, 2016)
Fausti - At the center of the chapter is bread: like the water from which you are born and the air you breathe, even bread is a primordial symbol of life: you eat it for a living. But, unlike water and air, it is not only a gift from the earth and the sky, it is also the fruit of work, seasoned with joy and hard work, hope and sweat. In it is inscribed, for better or for worse, the destiny of man, the only creature called to collaborate with the Creator to bring creation to completion. Jesus has already spoken to the disciples of His food, which is to do the Will of the Father and do His work. He lives on this food, which is the Love of the Father to be communicated to his brothers and sisters, so that they may pass from death to life. His bread is to love as it is loved, his work is to give life to his brothers. Jesus goes beyond the sea to the mountain, followed by the crowd, and tests his disciples to make them understand the bread he will give. Moses went up to the mountain, where the ten Words of Life were given. Now the Word itself will be given as the Bread of Life. Only on this mountain can one live the freedom offered by God. Here the Lord will prepare His banquet, will tear off the veil that covers the faces of all peoples, will eliminate death forever and will show His Face. An insignificant little boy is at the origin of the gift for all. This little boy has put his bread at the service of others. He is the image of Jesus, the Son who came to serve and give Life for his brothers and sisters, calling his disciples to do the same. You can see that there are five loaves and two small fishes: their sum is seven, a number that recalls the completion of creation. This little shared food is the life of the seventh day, the aim of creation itself. The Lord takes the initiative of the banquet and acts in the first person. As he takes the bread with thanksgiving, Jesus is the Son who has in himself, as a gift, the Life of the Father. But the Son is not only One who receives passively, he is the same Love as the Father because he is capable of distributing to his brothers and sisters what he has received. "Taking the bread", "giving thanks" and "distributing" are the words of the Eucharist, which restore to each bread its profound reality. In the Eucharist, creation is fulfilled and every desire of God and of man is fulfilled, every promise of His and our expectation: we receive the Life of the Son and we become children and brothers. The Eucharist makes every crumb of bread the fullness of Life. For it, creation returns to being "beautiful" as it was at the beginning, precisely because the man who takes, gives thanks and distributes, is "very beautiful", the image and likeness of God. Only this Bread can satisfy man's hunger. It is the food of the Sabbath that introduces us to the Presence, in intimacy with God. That is why he orders us to gather the surplus. Jesus wants to arouse the desire for this surplus, for this we must be hungry, not for the bread that perishes. The community of disciples is not always the guardian of this surplus. Yet they keep it and pass it on to us day after day, even if they do not understand it well. A perfect quantity of shared bread abounds, embracing the totality of time and people. Twelve baskets like twelve months of the year, twelve tribes of Israel. Of this fullness there is one for ever and for all
FAUSTI "Jesus went beyond the Sea of Galilee" There is a break in the story: in the previous scene Jesus was in Jerusalem, now we find Him in Galilee. It is the beginning of the new exodus, the exit from the slavery of sin to the freedom of the Son.
RispondiEliminaMoses went up to the mountain, where the ten Words of Life were given.
Now the Word itself will be given as the Bread of Life.
Only on this mountain can one live the freedom offered by God...
Jesus does not raise his eyes towards the Father, because He always turns them towards Him, to carry out His own work. He raises His eyes to His brothers and sisters, because He has placed Himself below them, He has become the smallest and most servant to all.
It takes two hundred denari, two hundred working days, to get this bread of sweat. The disciple ignores "where" the bread that Jesus is going to give comes from. It is not to be acquired with difficulty: it is a gift from the Father to the Son, who in turn shares it with his brothers and sisters.
Jesus replaces the violent economy of appropriating to possess with that of the Son who gives as he receives and loves as he is loved. In the gift of bread the disciples have an important role to play.
They are on the mountain with Jesus, they make their proposals, they receive the order to accommodate the crowd, and, in the end, collect the surplus.
At the center is the gesture of Jesus, which they will continue to do in His memory.
A little boy, insignificant, is at the origin of the gift for all.
This little one has put his bread in the service of others.
It is the image of Jesus, the Son who came to serve and give His life for His brothers and sisters, calling His disciples to do the same. "Taking the bread", "giving thanks" and "distributing" are the words of the Eucharist, which restore to each bread its profound reality.
A
The disciples carry out the order and disperse among the crowd to gather this surplus.
In fact, there is everywhere, because everything was created through the Son and is in Him, the life of all that is:
The Community of the Disciples is not simply the guardian of this surplus: it is constituted by his search for it everywhere. Above all, there is an overflowing fullness, which indicates the blessing of God. Twelve are the months of the year...A perfect quantity of shared bread abounds, embracing the totality of time and people. Jesus does not use bread to enslave people,
but He serves them to free them.
Acts of the Apostles 5,34-42.
RispondiEliminaA 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 them, "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 Messiah, Jesus.
Psalms 27(26),1.4.13-14.
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?
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.
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.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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 (bit)."
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.
Words of the Holy Father
EliminaThe episode arises from a concrete fact: people are hungry and Jesus involves his disciples so that this hunger may be satisfied. To the crowds, Jesus did not limit himself to giving this – he offered his Word, his consolation, his salvation, finally his life –, but he certainly also did this: he took care of food for the body. God’s love for humanity hungry for bread, freedom, justice, peace, and above all his divine grace, never fails. Jesus continues even today to feed, to make himself a living and consoling presence, and he does so through us. Faced with the cry of hunger – every kind of “hunger” – of so many brothers and sisters in every part of the world, we cannot remain detached and calm spectators. The proclamation of Christ, the bread of eternal life, requires a generous commitment of solidarity for the poor, the weak, the last, the defenseless. (Angelus July 29, 2018)
Jesus saw the crowd, felt compassion for them and multiplied the loaves; he does the same with the Eucharist. And we believers who receive this Eucharistic bread are driven by Jesus to bring this service to others, with the same compassion. This is the path. (General Audience, August 17, 2016)
Fausti - At the center of the chapter is bread: like the water from which you are born and the air you breathe, even bread is a primordial symbol of life: you eat it for a living.
RispondiEliminaBut, unlike water and air, it is not only a gift from the earth and the sky, it is also the fruit of work, seasoned with joy and hard work, hope and sweat.
In it is inscribed, for better or for worse, the destiny of man, the only creature called to collaborate with the Creator to bring creation to completion.
Jesus has already spoken to the disciples of His food, which is to do the Will of the Father and do His work.
He lives on this food, which is the Love of the Father to be communicated to his brothers and sisters, so that they may pass from death to life.
His bread is to love as it is loved, his work is to give life to his brothers.
Jesus goes beyond the sea to the mountain, followed by the crowd, and tests his disciples to make them understand the bread he will give. Moses went up to the mountain, where the ten Words of Life were given.
Now the Word itself will be given as the Bread of Life.
Only on this mountain can one live the freedom offered by God. Here the Lord will prepare His banquet, will tear off the veil that covers the faces of all peoples, will eliminate death forever and will show His Face.
An insignificant little boy is at the origin of the gift for all. This little boy has put his bread at the service of others. He is the image of Jesus, the Son who came to serve and give Life for his brothers and sisters, calling his disciples to do the same.
You can see that there are five loaves and two small fishes: their sum is seven, a number that recalls the completion of creation. This little shared food is the life of the seventh day, the aim of creation itself.
The Lord takes the initiative of the banquet and acts in the first person.
As he takes the bread with thanksgiving, Jesus is the Son who has in himself, as a gift, the Life of the Father.
But the Son is not only One who receives passively, he is the same Love as the Father because he is capable of distributing to his brothers and sisters what he has received.
"Taking the bread", "giving thanks" and "distributing" are the words of the Eucharist, which restore to each bread its profound reality.
In the Eucharist, creation is fulfilled and every desire of God and of man is fulfilled, every promise of His and our expectation: we receive the Life of the Son and we become children and brothers.
The Eucharist makes every crumb of bread the fullness of Life.
For it, creation returns to being "beautiful" as it was at the beginning, precisely because the man who takes, gives thanks and distributes, is "very beautiful", the image and likeness of God.
Only this Bread can satisfy man's hunger.
It is the food of the Sabbath that introduces us to the Presence, in intimacy with God.
That is why he orders us to gather the surplus. Jesus wants to arouse the desire for this surplus, for this we must be hungry, not for the bread that perishes.
The community of disciples is not always the guardian of this surplus.
Yet they keep it and pass it on to us day after day, even if they do not understand it well.
A perfect quantity of shared bread abounds, embracing the totality of time and people. Twelve baskets like twelve months of the year, twelve tribes of Israel.
Of this fullness there is one for ever and for all