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Gospel Reading for April 17, 2026 – John 6: 1-15
DEEPLY CONCERNED
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.
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For Jesus, it was not enough to preach or to heal—He was also DEEPLY CONCERNED about the hunger of the people. His compassion moved him to perform the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish.
Even today, many people around the world still suffer and die from hunger. This is caused by many factors: lack of affordability due to low wages, unemployment, and inequality; war and armed conflicts that displace people and cut off access to food; droughts brought about by neglect of the environment; unequal distribution of resources; corruption; and many others.
God created the world with everything needed to sustain life. Therefore, it is a global moral responsibility to help alleviate hunger and famine, especially in the most affected countries/communities.
Lord Jesus, may we show our gratitude for the blessings we receive each day by sharing them with those who suffer from hunger and famine.
