Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Today is a golden day for the Philippines. Just around twelve hours ago we received the breaking news that our Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo has won the gold in the Floor Exercises men’s category with a perfect score of 15.00. God is good! In this Mass therefore we thank the Lord for blessing our beloved nation with our first gold medal in the on-going Paris Olympics.

Speaking of blessings, in my 30 years of ministry as a priest, I have always experienced being blessed by the Lord and I have often witnessed how God’s blessings could be superabundant in terms of food. In the thirteen years of my assignment in Don Bosco Lawaan, despite the very low income of the seminary we have never gone hungry. We were even receiving sacks of rice from our Boys Home Liloan esp. when Fr Jhun Paradiang was the Rector here in Cotcot. In Lourdes especially during the pandemic of 2020-2021 our social hall would be filled almost everyday with relief goods to be distributed to families affected by the lockdown.

When I was still assigned in our School of Theology in Paranaque back in 2005, we received a donation of 5,000 loaves of assorted Gardenia bread to be delivered to the victims of a terrible typhoon in Infanta, Quezon. In Cebu for more than a year now we have been receiving assorted bread regularly from Philippine Foodbank Foundation to be distributed to indigent children and youth in our Don Bosco centers. Having said all these we can’t but thank our partners and benefactors for their unfailing support. Nevertheless despite all these abundant blessings the hunger of people does not seem to be fully satisfied.

Today we celebrate the 18th Sunday in Ordinary time. The gospel passage we just heard presents to us Jesus teaching the crowd of disciples to work hard not for food that perishes but for food that lasts to eternal life.

If you would recall, last Sunday we heard the amazing story of Jesus miraculously feeding five thousand men with only five loaves and two fish. Humanly speaking that could not have happened. It was not possible. While in business it might be possible to earn a big fortune selling five loaves and two fish to so many hungry mouths lining up desperately for food… (I remember having learned the law of supply and demand back when we were still in high school. And I’m pretty sure some of you know that too.) However, with very limited supply available, certainly not everyone can be satisfied.

Nevertheless, in the gospel story we heard, the hungry multitude was able to eat and have their fill of the loaves and fish. What seemed to be impossible became possible through the hand of Jesus who, after receiving the offerings of the little boy, blessed them, broke them and them away to be distributed to everyone.

Today’s gospel passage is actually a continuation of that miracle story. When the crowd saw Jesus leaving them behind to cross to the other side of the lake, they too followed him towards Capernaum on separate boats. Then, when they arrived there, an interesting dialogue occurred between Jesus and the crowd of disciples. As the biblical test shows, Jesus already knew why they still kept following him – they wanted more bread which only he could provide for free.

I guess at that moment Jesus could have been tempted to grab the golden opportunity to start a new business enterprise. With only five loaves and two fish, such a very little investment, he could sell to thousands of clients at a low price and still make a lot of money (and perhaps support his ministry). But, the good news is, Jesus rejected the alluring temptation. In fact he already closed down his carpentry shop in Nazareth for the purpose of dedicating himself full time to the new mission he received from the Father. And so, making use of their physical hunger as a jumping board, Jesus tried to direct his disciples’ attention to the much deeper and more important hunger in their lives – the hunger of the soul for God. He said to them, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

Having heard this, the people said to him “Sir, give us this bread always.” In reply, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” With these words what was Jesus really trying to say? I believe it is this, that we should give more importance, not so much on the material blessings, but rather on Jesus, the divine Giver of such blessings. Everyday we experience receiving and enjoying material blessings, at times abundantly, at other times scarcely. In any case, Jesus is teaching us that our deepest longing should be directed, not on the blessings given us, but rather on the divine Giver of such blessings, to Jesus, the Bread of Life.

Today is Parish Priests Day. We observe this in honor of the world renowned saintly parish priest by the name of St John Marie Vianney, whose memorial we celebrate every year on August 4. As a priest he converted thousands of non-believers and reconnected them to Jesus by way of the sacraments.

When he was still a child, John Marie Vianney dreamt of becoming a priest, having been inspired by the Catholic priests who in those times were risking their own lives day by day to administer the sacraments despite the political turmoil in France. His parents, who were simple farmers struggling to make the family survive, remained faithful and devout despite the many hardships and trials they had to face. And despite the danger of being arrested by the anti-clerical forces of society, they made sure that John at thirteen would receive catechism and first Holy Communion.

In 1802, when the Catholic Church was re-established in France in an atmosphere of religious peace, schools were re-opened, thereby allowing John to enrol as a student. He was already 20 yrs old when he went to formal school for the first time. Three years later, however, he had to stop schooling in order to serve in the army of Gen Napoleon Bonaparte. Because of this he regretted not being able to enter the seminary to pursue his dreams. But his strong and steadfast faith made him pray even more devoutly for his vocation. And so one day in 1812, by God’s goodness and grace he was finally able to enter the seminary.

Sulod sa seminaryo grabe ang trials nga iyang giatubang. Naglisod na sad siya sa iyahang studies labi na sa Latin. In fact, nahagbong siya sa examinations. Pero after siya nag-re-take og exams nakapasar siya, ug finally na-ordenahan isip usa ka pari in the year 1815 (the same year when Don Bosco was born).

Naa’y nangutana: ngano kaha nga bisan hagbong siya sa examinations, gi-ordenahan gihapon siya sa iyang Obispo isip usa ka pari? This is the reason: si Juan, kada-adlaw mag-ampo gumikan sa iyahang kasing-kasing, straight from the heart. His prayer moments were really a heart-to-heart “ME time” with the Lord. And even if he was not really unintelligent he exhibited practical common sense and a great ability to guide people.

Three years after his ordination Father John was assigned as Parish Priest in a distant town named Ars where none of the people cared to go to Mass. Seeing no one in church what did Father John do? Nagpenitensiya siya kada adlaw sa gamay nga pagkaon, gamay nga pagtulog, pero daghang oras sa pag-ampo. He prayed a lot; he spent long hours of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament for his “ME time” with the Lord. And what was the result? Hinay-hinay, nibalik ang mga tawo sa simbahan. Slowly people returned to church. At first simply out of curiosity, moli-li lang sila sa pultahan ug tan-awon nila unsay gibuhat ni Padre Juan sulod sa simbahan. Then gradually they were inspired to see Father John spending his “ME time” with the Lord. His parishioners soon got converted and went one by one to confession. Then, more and more came to attend his Masses until the whole town became Catholic again. What St John Marie Vianney showed is a clear example of what it really means to focus not on the material blessings but on the Giver of Blessings.

May we who gather today to celebrate the sacrament of God’s love be inspired to imitate the example of St John Marie Vianney who centered his life on the Lord and offered the little he had to convert an entire parish. And we pray that with Jesus blessing us today we may become a big blessing to others esp. the poor and the needy. Remember this: blessings shared are blessings multiplied. GiGsss!

Homily on the 18th Sunday in OT, 4 August 2024, SJBP Liloan

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