Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Homily on the 18th Sunday in OT, 3 August 2024, Saturday, BCBP at Quincentennial Hotel

Many years ago, there was a lovely couple named Greg and Gregy, who moved to Manila and became active in their parish church. Greg was a civil engineering graduate of UP. He was blessed with a good job and position at the National Power Corporation. Gregy on the other hand was a professional teacher who opened her own little food business after resigning from her job at the public elementary school.

Since the number of their children had been increasing almost every year, they realized they needed to work much harder in order to satisfy the many needs of their fast growing family. Soon Engr Greg was promoted as project manager until he was appointed superintendent in Manila. As he climbed the ladder of success and witnessed the widespread corruption in various government agencies, he also felt the trials and temptations becoming stronger as well. On her part Gregy enrolled in a baking course and when she graduated, she made more income as her carinderia slash sari-sari store soon transformed into something totally new, a popular home bake shop serving fluffy ensaimadas, chiffon cakes, kutsinta, just to mention a few. Like Greg her husband, she too felt the trials and temptations to be increasing as her business made more progress. For her, more orders brought in more income. But it also meant more work, more compromises and less time for family and practices of piety.

How many professionals and businessmen are actually finding themselves today in situations similar to that of Greg and Gregy! You who are here, how many of you have experienced being tried and tempted to compromise your faith in the name of success, in the pretext of providing more for your family esp. the increasing needs of your fast growing children?

At this point allow me just to thank Mr Jon Ramos for inviting me through Rikki and Leah to preside this Holy Mass on the occasion of your graduation. Thank you sir! I really feel honored to be here, but at the same time a bit nervous for I am not really sure of what good to say this evening with such a short notice.

Anyway, the gospel passage we just heard seems so fitting for this occasion. It is as if God had already planned long beforehand what he intends to say today especially to the first batch of graduates of this newly developed course on Business as a Noble Vocation. We recall that 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. 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 to buy your products… (I have learned the law of supply and demand back when we were still in high school) However with very limited supply available one can never satisfy everyone.

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 had them distributed to everyone.

Today’s gospel passage is actually a continuation of that miracle story. When the crown saw Jesus leaving them behind to cross to the other side of the lake, they too followed him to Capernaum on foot, arriving there ahead of him. Then, an interesting dialogue occurred between Jesus and the crowd of disciples. Actually Jesus already knew why they kept following him – they wanted more bread which only he could provide for free.

I guess Jesus could have grabbed 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 very low price and still make a lot of money (and perhaps support his ministry). But, the good news is, Jesus refused to entertain such a big temptation. In fact he already closed down his carpentry shop in Nazareth so that he could dedicate himself full time to the new mission he received from the Father. And so making use of their physical hunger sa a jumping board he tried to direct his disciples’ attention to the deeper and more important hunger in their lives – the hunger of the soul for God. He taught them by saying, “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

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 improtance, not on the material blessings, but on the giver of such blessings. Everyday we experience receiving and enjoying countless material blessings, at time abundantly, at other times scarcely. In whatever situation we find ourselves, Jesus is teaching us that our deepest longing should be directed, not so much on the blessings we receive, but rather on the giver of such blessings.

And if ever it may happen that people come to us because they experience being blessed through us, we as true disciples should always be able to direct them to the real Source of every blessing, namely, God himself. May it not be said that people are so burdened in life because of us, because we violate Christ’s law of love, and the social teachings of the Church, in the name of worldly success and unjust profit. On the contrary, we pray that feeling blessed by God, we may become on our part, not a burden, but a blessing to others: our family, our employees, our clients, our community and society.

Allow me to conclude with the continuation of the story of Engr Greg and Teacher Gregy. Being a God-fearing couple both of them tried to persevere in their profession and career following the gospel demands of justice and charity. At the same time they also tried to serve the Lord by sharing some of their time, their talents, and their treasure with their parish community as active members of church organizations. They offered even their children to the Lord. And that is why the Lord blessed them to have two of their daughters become nuns, one a Salesian sister and the other a Carmelite nun; moreover they allowed their youngest son to enter the seminary and soon he was ordained a priest. And that priest is now celebrating this Mass with you and for you. To God be the glory!

May we who gather today to celebrate the sacrament of God’s love be inspired to do like what that little boy in the gospel had done. And may we also follow Jesus even more faithfully in blessing God for the little we have and sharing these generously among the poor and the needy. Remember this: blessings shared are blessings multiplied. GiGsss!

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