When you’re in love with someone you can’t help yourself from thinking about him/her . Talking about them and wanting to spend as much time with them as possible. You are even quick to defend their honour in their absence. So then how in love are you with our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ? That you cannot bear to go a single day without first listening to His Word, then later in the day talking about Him; and sharing His love with others? That you would mind suffering humiliation for the sake of His name with joy in your heart? The problem with many of us is that we say that we love Jesus but in our heart of hearts, we are not deeply in love with Him such that we are willing to suffer for His namesake or to love others the way we are called to do.Perhaps one of the main reasons is that we do not dwell enough on His great love for us. He loved us first and is very much in love with us individually; He has no favourites! He knew all about us even before we were born and already His heart was set on loving and caring for us. How will we ever know this, if we will not spend time in His presence. Dwelling on His Word and sitting with Him in prayer?Today Jesus knows we are hungry for the bread of heaven, do you think that in His great love for us He will not feed us? Perhaps in a new profound way? For He had already promised us when He said, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” John 6:27Jesus I trust in You, Your love endures forever. Amen
First reading
Acts 5:34-42 ·
They were glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the nameOne member of the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a doctor of the Law and respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the apostles taken outside for a time. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, ‘Men of Israel, be careful how you deal with these people. There was Theudas who became notorious not so long ago. He claimed to be someone important, and he even collected about four hundred followers; but when he was killed, all his followers scattered and that was the end of them. And then there was Judas the Galilean, at the time of the census, who attracted crowds of supporters; but he got killed too, and all his followers dispersed. What I suggest, therefore, is that you leave these men alone and let them go. If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them, but you might find yourselves fighting against God.’
His advice was accepted; and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name.
They preached every day both in the Temple and in private houses, and their proclamation of the Good News of Christ Jesus was never interrupted.
Gospel
John 6:1-15
The feeding of the five thousandJesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee – or of Tiberias – and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.
Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’ He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.’ So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself.
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