when he healed the sick. So he went up into the hills and sat down there with his
disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Then lifting up his eyes,
Jesus saw the crowds that were coming to him, and said to Philip, “Where shall we buy
bread so that these people may eat?” He said this to test Philip, for he himself knew
what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred silver coins would not buy
enough bread for each of them to have a piece.” Then one of Jesus’ disciples Andrew,
Simon Peter’s brother, said, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two
fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”
There was plenty of grass there, so the people, about five thousand men, sat down.
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were
seated. He did the same with the fish, and gave them as much as they wanted.
And when they had eaten enough, he told his disciples, “Gather up the pieces left
over, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets
with bread, that is, with pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
When the people saw the miracle which Jesus had performed, they said, “This is really
the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” Jesus realized that they would come
and take him by force to make him king; so he fled to the hills by himself.
 

Reflect

“God's overflowing goodness.” God wills that we experience his goodness in the concrete.
He makes use of other people for us to experience his goodness. He also makes use
of other created reality to nourish us and hence for us to experience his boundless and
overflowing goodness. God’s goodness, indeed, abounds in all that surrounds us.
Likewise, he makes us as his instruments by which his goodness could be
experienced by others. In other words, he calls us to become his extensions in order
that his goodness will be experienced by others. Today’s Gospel is the Johannine version
of the feeding of the multitude. This particular miracle of Jesus is recounted by all
four Gospel versions (cf. Mk. 6:30-44; 8:1- 10; Mt. 14:13-21; Lk. 9:10-17).
John’s Gospel highlights the role of Philip and Andrew which is characterized by their
way of reaching out. Skeptical as they appeared, Jesus still used them as his extensions
in order to feed the people. Moreover, the nameless boy, with his barley loaves and fish,
was instrumental for Jesus to perform the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and
fish. Thus, God always pours out his goodness. His miracles happen when we allow
ourselves to be his extensions.

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