Just finished attending the First Friday Mass here at ABS-CBN's chapel. I was feeling out of sorts with all the stuff I have to accomplish today so that I could make it to my friends' meet-up in Makati before we head off to our Tagaytay escapade. I couldn't leave the office earlier as planned though since I have to cover an event later.
But thank God I heard today's gospel which is about the multiplication of loaves and fish during one of Jesus's preaching in Galilee. I love the priest's homily because it was about the true meaning of “eating” and “dining”. With the fast-paced lifestyle that we lead nowadays, he said that people often take for granted the need for conversation/interaction when dining either with your loved ones or in social functions.
He stressed that “eating” also means “sharing” especially in light of The Eucharist or The Last Supper where Jesus Christ broke the bread and shared pieces of it with his disciples. The whole act was made not only for the sake of eating but for sharing the good news about humanity’s salvation and the great mission that lies ahead of them.
He talked about keeping our hearts open to hear what others have to say and not just concentrate solely on filling our stomachs with food. Such is our tendency when we’re so busy we don’t have time to talk and enjoy the company of our friends and loved ones. In the same way that he encouraged us to keep our hands open to the needy for the more we give, the more we receive.
It was a very striking homily for me because the priest also shared his thoughts about faithful love and the modern couples' tendency to grow apart “para mag-kanya-kanya”; when the real essence of love in the context of marriage is staying committed to each other and being ready to give up anything for one’s partner.
And I realized, that is not martyrdom because love is made perfect with God at the center of any relationship. Whatever happens, whatever decision that you make, you just know that you’ll never go wrong. Because true love is never wrong. It’s so powerful that it actually covers all wrongs.
Indeed, such is the POWER of love. :)
