Prayer for peace
The prayer for peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria.
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. However seeing that Jesus and the disciples were no longer there, got into the other boats, which had come from Tiberias, close to the place where they had eaten the miraculously multiplied bread, and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. In fact, they found him "on the other side of the lake," notes the evangelist. Jesus was not where they had been looking for him. He was not the "king" that they had hoped for so as to satisfy their aspirations, even if they were legitimate and understandable hopes. Seeking the Lord asks that we go beyond ourselves and our habits, even our religious ones. Here, the crowd needed to go beyond, far beyond, all the way "on the other side of the lake," which was much farther beyond what they had thought. They had not fully grasped the profound meaning of the multiplication of the loaves. It was not the manifestation of Jesus' power, but the "sign" that indicated the new kingdom Jesus had come to establish on earth. In order to understand the "signs" we need to have a heart that is involved with Jesus and his passion, his pathos for men and women. As a good shepherd who leads his flock, Jesus started explaining the meaning of the miracle they had seen to the crowd. He said to them2: "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, justice and borderless love that the Father has given to human beings. While we listen to the Word of God we will see our eyes getting sharper, and Jesus will appear to us as the true bread descended from heaven that nourishes our hearts and sustains our lives.