Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 17, 2026
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.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
One of my favorite traditions our parents handed down to us was family dinners together. We gather together to eat a meal, but the purpose is to have each person share their day, a time to listen, and a time to connect with each other. We thank God for the meal by saying grace, no matter if we are at a dining hall, a restaurant, or in our home. So much good has come from breaking bread together. It allows us to slow down in the midst of our full lives and relate with one another.
“Where shall we buy enough food for these people to eat? This verse resonates with me because I buy the food and prep it for most of our meals for a family of nine. Planning the meals, having enough food, and not blowing the budget is a subtle art. I understand Philip’s response on a practical level. “Not even with two hundred days’ wages could we buy loaves enough to give each of them a mouthful.” Jesus cares about the details of our lives. He did not send the people away.
Jesus sees the people coming to him. Jesus sees us coming and wants us to be fed by him. He sees our needs and loves us unconditionally. Jesus sees, knows, and loves us more than we can imagine. If we could only see ourselves each day as Jesus sees us. We are made in God’s image and fearfully and wonderfully made. He wants us to live for today with the grace that he provides.
May we each let go of control, so Jesus can multiply the little we have. May we be generous with all the people who come to our family table and share the riches of the Lord.
Prayer
Lord, you fed the hungry crowd with five loaves and two fish, multiplying what seemed so little. In my family’s story and in the charism of Holy Cross, I have seen again and again how you take our meager offerings and make them more than enough. Teach us generosity, that we may share what we have with confidence in your abundance. And when we feel small or inadequate, remind us that you delight in using the ordinary to reveal your glory. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Robert de Turlande was a French nobleman who became a priest and later a Benedictine monk.
Robert was born around the turn of the first millennium in Auvergne, France. His mother was a noblewoman, but gave birth to Robert in the woods on their property while out for a walk. Local legend said this odd circumstance for a birth meant that Robert would become a hermit.
Robert studied for the priesthood, as did many younger sons of noblemen. He became a monk at the famous abbey of Cluny. He traveled to Rome to learn the order of St. Benedict at Nursia, where Benedict had established the Benedictines. He was inspired by the rule of Benedict and by the commitment to caring for the poor.
He returned to France, seeking to live a more contemplative life. He amassed such a large number of followers, however, that he had to build another convent. Robert became the abbot of the famous Benedictine convent, "La Chaise-Dieu," which was where Pope Clement VI began his religious career as a monk.
Robert died on April 17, 1067 and was canonized by Pope Clement VI in 1531. Robert is the patron saint of La Chaise-Dieu convent, abbots, and hermits.
Saint Robert de Turlande, Benedictine priest who built a "home for God"—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Robert de Turlande is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Last accessed February 13, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.