Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
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?”
This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?”
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.
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.
And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.”
So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.
Jn 6: 4-13

Surely the lesson to be learned here is to never underestimate what can be achieved with unpromising resources. We never attempt so many things, saying we don’t have enough time, or money, or skill, or whatever else appears to be needed. But Jesus is showing us that what we think is too little to be going on with could well achieve the task at hand, if only we gave it a try.
God, whenever I sell myself short, whisper to me “Loaves and fishes.”

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Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.”
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
Jn 20: 24-29

Seeing is believing. Yet even our eyes can deceive us at times. Besides, so little of what we know is known through seeing. We take the word of others, drawing on their knowledge and experience. Believing without seeing is to have faith, to trust, to overcome doubt or fear. It’s also about making judgements about whom to trust. Who makes a reliable witness? Who speaks honestly or who wants to lead us astray?
God grant us the gifts of discernment, trust and faith. Make us open to truth.

But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Jn 21: 24

We could speculate as to what all these things might be. Yet the gospels are strikingly similar, especially the synoptics. John is too if the comparison is with books that could not be contained in the whole world if everything were written down. So we pretty much have to take what we’ve got and work from there: speculation is pretty useless. It’s no use pretending we’re shepherds or live as people lived in the time of Jesus. It’s simply not the case. We need to look to the principles in the gospels and see how those principles bear on our lives today.
God grant me the insight and wisdom to understand you law and apply it appropriately in my life.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.”
Jn 21: 18

When we’re young we think we’re free, that the world is our oyster. In some ways that’s true. But in others, not so … as we learn as we get older. We’re bound by circumstances, obligations, responsibilities, the limits and narrowing of opportunity placed by earlier decisions, the expectations of others, reasonable or not, and so on. It’s right, necessary even, that we try to overcome some of these limitations. But others, by the nature of the call to love one another, should not be ignored.
God grant me the grace to accept my legitimate responsibilities cheerfully, the strength to break the bonds that wrongfully imprison me, and the wisdom to discern which is which.

As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
Jn 17: 18

We’re sent out into the world with the Word of God in our minds and hearts. It seems such small comfort and protection at times, as we stumble along through the journey of life. We’re supposed to preach this Word too. But who listens? Are our contrary actions speaking louder than words?
Oh God, light the way so that we might stay on the right path.

His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure!
Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Jn 16: 29-33

We’re scattered, all right. Across the globe as migrants, refugees, seekers of something different or better. In our families we are scattered, cut off by distance or the breakdown of relationships. All of these cause problems, to a lesser or greater degree. Where separation has been imposed on us, it can be like death itself. Good cheer can be very hard to come by.
Oh God, if we cannot turn around the negatives, help us to find alternative positives to concentrate on, knowing that in your love one day we shall all be reunited.

Jesus … lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee,
Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.
Jn 17: 1, 17

As the age old question has it, What is truth? The Macquarie Dictionary defines it thus:
1. that which is true; the true or actual facts of a case: to tell the truth.
2. conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.
3. a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.
4. the state or character of being true.
5. genuineness, reality, or actual existence.
6. agreement with a standard, rule, or the like.
7. honesty, uprightness, or integrity.
8. accuracy, as of position or adjustment.
9. Archaic: fidelity or constancy.
Is this what being sanctified in the truth means? I’ve always thought that facts are facts. From the above, what resonates with me is the sense of integrity: living so that my deeds match my words; honesty: my word is my bond. I am the person that I say I am. I am an authentic, genuine human being. But how often do I miss reaching my stated aims for myself?
Oh God, sanctify me in your truth and help me to live in such a way that your truth is seen in and through me.