Life after the resurrection of Jesus was not as easy as one would think. The Sanhedrin were feeling threatened by the Apostles. Their focus was on proclaiming Jesus Christ. What about the Apostles threatens you?

The Church today is invited to remember, through the Gospel of John (6:1-10), a time when Jesus fed the large crowd. They didn’t know how to respond to Jesus’ compassion for the crowd. They didn’t know what to do after Jesus fed them and collected the fragments. Their interest continues to be in trying to focus on Jesus, but they kept drifting back to focusing on their own desires.

In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Gamaliel’s advice offers a good invitation. “For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself.  But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5: 34-42)

Jesus knows enough to keep drawing us into compassion and care for others. Is Jesus’ love and compassion the driving example in your life? Do you look to feed those who are drawn to you in desire for love of the Risen Jesus?

—Fr. Kevin Schneider, SJ is the director of adult spirituality programs at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, NE. He is a spiritual director and offers parish missions and retreats in the style of Ignatian Spirituality.