20260417 THE UNASSAILABLE POWER OF GOD
17 April 2026, Friday, 2nd Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 5:34-42 |
They were glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name
One member of the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a doctor of the Law and respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the apostles taken outside for a time. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, ‘Men of Israel, be careful how you deal with these people. There was Theudas who became notorious not so long ago. He claimed to be someone important, and he even collected about four hundred followers; but when he was killed, all his followers scattered and that was the end of them. And then there was Judas the Galilean, at the time of the census, who attracted crowds of supporters; but he got killed too, and all his followers dispersed. What I suggest, therefore, is that you leave these men alone and let them go. If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them, but you might find yourselves fighting against God.’
His advice was accepted; and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name.
They preached every day both in the Temple and in private houses, and their proclamation of the Good News of Christ Jesus was never interrupted.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14 |
There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
We know that Christ is truly risen from the dead:
have mercy on us, triumphant King.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt4:4 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 6:1-15 |
The feeding of the five thousand
Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee – or of Tiberias – and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.
Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’ He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.’ So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself.
THE UNASSAILABLE POWER OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 5:34-42; PS 27:1,4,13-14; JN 6:1-15 ]
It is human nature to defend ourselves against perceived enemies who threaten our lives or the status quo. This was the case with the Jewish leaders who tried to deal with the newfound Jesus movement among the early Christians. They were motivated partly by jealousy, as the new movement was gaining popularity and attracting new members. But they were also driven by fear of Roman intervention, since the preaching of the apostles could cause social disorder, religious division, and even pose political challenges to Roman authority. Thus, institutions often resort to punishment, threats, and imprisonment to silence those who are different or who could disrupt existing social, religious, and political structures.
Thanks to St. Paul’s teacher, Gamaliel, the Sanhedrin were steered in the right direction by his wisdom and astuteness. Instead of reacting impulsively to the new movement founded by Christ’s disciples, he urged that the situation be monitored. He provided a vital guiding principle for the work of discernment: “What I suggest, therefore, is that you leave these men alone and let them go. If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them, but you might find yourselves fighting against God.” Indeed, those who walk by the light and in truth will be victorious in the end. Those who act merely out of human initiative will not last. Worse still are those who walk in darkness and falsehood; they will eventually destroy themselves.
After this ruling, the persecution from the Jewish authorities was notably restrained. Although the authorities flogged the apostles and warned them not to proclaim His name, they continued to do so regardless after their release. “And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name. They preached every day both in the Temple and in private houses, and their proclamation of the Good News of Christ Jesus was never interrupted.” The apostles could rejoice even in their suffering and humiliation, simply because they knew the relentless spread of the Gospel was not due to their own strength or ingenuity, but purely because of the power of the Risen Lord at work in their lives.
Truly, in the history of Christianity, Gamaliel’s principle has been proven right. In later Church history, when the Romans persecuted the early Church during the first three centuries, it became evident that the use of power, force, and threats could not stop the Church from growing. On the contrary, even though the Christian faith was outlawed and many Christians were tortured and martyred, the number of believers grew even more. As the saying goes, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” This is why when we try to fight against the power of God, we will lose the battle; for in the Old Testament, God is known as the Lord of Hosts — the commander of the army of Israel.
This same predicament, though in a less threatening manner, also occurred during the ministry of Jesus. He was faced with the dilemma of feeding a crowd of five thousand. He asked Philip, “Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?” Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.” Andrew revealed his own desperation when he told the Lord, “There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that among so many?” Again, from a human perspective, there was no solution. It would have been difficult to send the crowd away to find food; on the other hand, there was no earthly way for Jesus to buy enough food or satisfy the crowd with only five loaves and two fish.
Like Gamaliel and the apostles, they surrendered themselves to the power of God’s grace. We read that Jesus “took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; He then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as they wanted.” In giving thanks, Jesus demonstrated His total trust and gratitude for whatever His Father provided. To give thanks is to trust in the power of God. Those who cannot give thanks are often looking at the wrong side of the problem; instead of focusing on the cup being half full, they focus on it being half empty. Instead of focusing on their blessings, they focus on their woes. When we dwell too much on the negative aspects of life, we become discouraged and lose faith in God and in ourselves, eventually wallowing in self-pity. Rather, we are called to thank God for what we have, even if it is only five barley loaves and two fish. When we thank God, we begin to count our blessings. By being grateful for what we have, we become more receptive to His grace for the future and more appreciative of others.
Perhaps this is how the bread multiplied. Some scholars suggest that Jesus might not have literally multiplied the bread, noting that, unlike his other miracles, there was no explicit expression of amazement from the crowd at the end. Perhaps when the people — many of whom had brought their own food — saw Jesus give thanks for the little He had, they came to appreciate their own abundance. Realising they were more blessed than Jesus in that moment, they were moved to share what they had brought in their baskets. This would explain the twelve baskets of leftovers, signifying that there was more than enough for everyone. When we share what we have, poverty could be eradicated, and no one would go hungry or suffer. The reality is that a few are hoarding the majority of the world’s resources, leaving the rest with nothing. But if we count our blessings and remain grateful to God, we will naturally begin to share what we have.
However, we must not dismiss the possibility that a literal miracle occurred and the bread was multiplied by the Lord. If we accept this position, it is easily accommodated because we are speaking of the power of God’s intervention. While we may not know historically exactly what transpired — given that the account of this miracle was shaped by the early liturgy of the Church in the celebration of the Eucharist — the central point remains: with God, nothing is impossible.
This miracle recounted by John is intended to prepare us for the discourse on the Eucharist as the Bread of Life. This explains why John prefaced the miracle by mentioning that Jesus crossed to “the other side of the Sea of Galilee” and that it was “shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.” These two details remind the reader of the great miracle God performed when He set the Israelites free from Egyptian slavery and led them across the Red Sea. Furthermore, we are reminded of how the Passover lamb saved the lives of the Israelites’ firstborn. These details are meant to help us situate the Eucharistic discourse: Jesus is revealed as the New Moses, the teacher of the New Israel, and the one who provides the true manna from heaven. Hence, like Moses, “Jesus climbed the hillside and sat down there with his disciples” to teach them with authority.
The most vital principle for faith in the Eucharist is that God possesses ultimate power over nature; therefore, He has the same power to transform bread and wine into His Body and Blood. Humanly speaking, this is impossible — but with God, nothing is impossible. Our response to Him is not governed by logic and reasoning, but by faith in His divine power. Like Jesus, we are called to surrender all we have to the Lord, even if it is only “five loaves and two fish.” If we surrender ourselves to the Lord, He will work miracles in our lives. We must learn to trust in Him and His divine providence. God will work wonders in our lives if, like Jesus, we continue to give Him thanks at all times for things both great and small. By trusting in the power of God rather than the power of man, we will see His miracles at work within us.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
