DAILY GOSPEL Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68 Friday, 02 May 2014 Friday of the Second week of Easter Saint(s) of the day : St. Athanasius, Bishop & Doctor of the Church (+ 373) See commentary below or click here Pope Francis: « He broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples who, in turn, gave them to the crowds» (Mt 14,19) 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 Israelites, 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 lifes 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. Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day : Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation « Evangelii Gaudium / The Joy of the Gospel » §46-49 (trans. © copyright Libreria Editrice Vaticana) « He broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples who, in turn, gave them to the crowds» (Mt 14,19) A Church which “goes forth” is a Church whose doors are open... The Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open... Everyone can share in some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community, nor should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason. This is especially true of the sacrament which is itself “the door”: baptism. The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak... But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems. If the whole Church takes up this missionary impulse, she has to go forth to everyone without exception. But to whom should she go first? When we read the Gospel we find a clear indication: not so much our friends and wealthy neighbours, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked, “those who cannot repay you” (Lk 14:14). There can be no room for doubt or for explanations which weaken so clear a message. Today and always, “the poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel” (Benedict XVI)... We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them. Let us go forth, then, let us go forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ... If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life... At our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: “Give them something to eat” (Mt 14,16; Mk 6:37; Lk 9,13). Make a donation | Manage subscription | Contact us | Unsubscribe ---------------------------------------- The DGO is sent every day to more than 350.000 subscribers! Do you want to help us maintain this free service? The Daily Gospel is free of charge, but it is not free of cost. Make a donation directly on our website dailygospel.org. Thank you and God bless you.
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 13:13:40 +0000