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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: 2Kings 4:42-44 II: Ephesians 4:1-6

Gospel
John 6:1-15

¹ After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiber'i-as.
² And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased.
³ Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples.
⁴ Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
⁵ Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?"
⁶ This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
⁷ Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."
⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
⁹ "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?"
¹⁰ Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.
¹² And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost."
¹³ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.
¹⁴ When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!"
¹⁵ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Interesting Details

Today's reading, "the feeding of the five thousand", is the first part of chapter 6, which also includes two more accounts (pericopes): "Jesus walks on the sea" and "Jesus, the bread of life." The entire chapter is titled "Jesus, the Bread of Life."
This feeding of the five thousand story alludes to the Exodus story: the Sea of Galilee (v.1), the mountain (v.3), and the multiplying of the bread, respectively allude to the Dead Sea, Mount Sinai, and manna. Furthermore, the Jewish Passover (v.4) hints Jesus' upcoming Passover. Thus, Jesus is replacing the Old Testament way of life.
Bread was the staple of the Jewish diet. The Old Testament mentions the unleavened bread, the presence bread, and manna - the bread from heaven. Bread is seen as life sustaining. The New Testament states that we "do not live by bread alone" and "Jesus is the bread of life."
The Jewish people believe that food is a gift from God; thus, it was customary, as Jesus did in v. 11, to thank God before meals. Furthermore, since it is God's gift, the leftover bread fragments should not be wasted (v.12).
The multiplying of bread and fish shows Jesus' concern for people's physical need, but this was not his main concern. The main concern is that the miracles, or signs, should lead people to deeper faith.
In verses 14 and 15 the evangelist comments on how people misunderstand, and see Jesus as the liberating prophet/king. But that is not his mission! He is the revealer who shows us the true way of life; he is the suffering Messiah who would die.

One Main Point

Jesus is the Bread of Life.
On one level, Jesus satisfies our physical hunger. On a deeper level, he is the bread, through which we are led to a deeper level of faith, to participate in God's life.

Reflections

Jesus asks his disciples to gather the leftover bread fragments; "so they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets." In this consumer society, we are wasting foods, materials, resources, and talents. What should we do with the leftover to show our gratitude to God?
The five loaves and two fishes can be seen as our cooperation in Jesus' work. How do we use our God-given talents to help others?
Jesus is the Bread of Life in the Eucharist. When we receive the Eucharist, we become one with God. What do you do before and after receiving the Eucharist?
From #3, how does receiving the Eucharist help your faith?