Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B Gospel

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Later on, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to the shore of Lake Tiberius, and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs Jesus gave by curing the sick.  Jesus climbed the hillside and sat down there with the 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?”  Jesus knew well what he was going to do, but asked this to test Philip’s response.  Philip answered, “Not even with two hundred days’ wages could we buy loaves enough to give each of them a mouthful!”

One of the disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, “There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two dried fish; but what good is that for so many?”  Jesus said to them, “Make the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand families sat down.  Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting; he did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted.  When the people had eaten their fill, Jesus said to the disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing gets wasted.”  So they picked them up, and filled twelve baskets with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves.  The people, seeing this sign that Jesus had performed, said, “This undoubtedly is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”  At that, Jesus, who could see they were about to come and carry him off to crown him as ruler, escaped into the hills alone.

The Good News as spoken through John.