Reading 1
Acts 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 the Sanhedrin, “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 Christ, Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (see 4abc) One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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?
R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
R. One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
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.”
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.
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE REVOLUTIONARY POWER OF THE CHURCH
"Think twice about what you are going to do with these men." –Acts 5:35
Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin and a renowned teacher, considered it possible that Jesus and His disciples were from God (see Acts 5:39). He knew too that if they weren't, they would destroy themselves (Acts 5:38), and so he concluded that the early Church should be left alone (Acts 5:38).
The Sanhedrin apparently accepted Gamaliel's advice (Acts 5:39). However, this is confusing because they had the apostles whipped, which doesn't seem like letting them alone (Acts 5:40). This confused response to Gamaliel's advice may indicate that his advice was confused. If Jesus and His disciples really came from God, they would not be merely legitimate but the beginning of the greatest of God's works, for Jesus claimed to be God incarnate. Also, if Jesus and His disciples were not of God, they were not so harmless that they should be ignored. They were claiming to be the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy that the Spirit would be poured out on all mankind (Acts 2:17; Jl 3:1ff). Moreover, the early Church maintained that we had murdered God (Acts 5:30), that He had risen from the dead, and that He would judge us (Acts 10:42) and raise us also from the dead. With such a revolutionary message, the early Church was hardly harmless. The early Church was to be joined as soon as possible or exterminated immediately before it did even greater harm.
Does it surprise you that the Church still has so many enemies in today's secular culture? The Church, however, will emerge victorious and triumphant, led by Jesus her Head.
PRAYER: Jesus, restore and renew Your Church.
PROMISE: "Jesus then took the loaves of bread, gave thanks, and passed them around to those reclining there; He did the same with the dried fish, as much as they wanted." –Jn 6:11
PRAISE: St. Athanasius was blessed to help unburden the Church of heresy by being part of the Council that formulated the Creed.
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