The prayer for Peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

John 6,22-29

Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves. Other boats, however, had put in from Tiberias, near the place where the bread had been eaten. When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus. When they found him on the other side, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?' Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal. Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to carry out God's work?' Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you must believe in the one he has sent.'

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

After the multiplication of the loaves of bread, the crowd, remained on the other side of the sea, came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. The evangelist notes that they found him "on the other side of the lake." Jesus was not where they had been looking for him. Seeking the Lord always asks that we go beyond ourselves, "on the other side of the lake" of our habits. The crowds had not grasped the "sign" that is the spiritual meaning of the miracle Jesus had performed. Miracles are not the manifestation of Jesus' power, rather they were "signs" of the new kingdom Jesus had come to establish on earth. Jesus, like the good shepherd who leads the flock, explains to the crowd the meaning of the miracle they had seen and says, "27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." The bread that comes from heaven is Jesus himself; he is the Kingdom, the justice, the love the Father has given humanity. Welcoming this gift with all our heart and making of it our daily food is the "work" believers are called to do.