ARE YOU FULL OR ARE YOU A FOOL? | Homily 18 Aug 2024| 20th Sun in Ordinary Time with Fr Jerry Orbos

When I first went to Europe, I experienced biting a bread that was hard and tough, and the filling of my front tooth was gone, and so were the smiles I could have given to everyone! I forget now the name of that bread, but I call it the “anti-pasta” (pantanggal ng pasta)!
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In today’s Gospel (John 6:51-58), Jesus tells the crowd to be careful of what bread to eat and to choose to eat the bread that gives life. “Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” What kind of bread are you eating in your life? Are you feeding yourself with “bread” (money)? Or are you filling yourself with love?
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Are you living a life that is full? For some people, a full life means simply to be full of worldly pleasures and provisions. For others, it means to live a life full of meaning and inner joy “which this world cannot give or take away.” So, who is full, and who is a fool? And which one are you?
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Following our Lord leads us to live a life that is full of meaning in this world, and the promise of eternal life at the end of our earthly life. It is a choice of living for the now and living for forever.
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I am now on a mission trip in America, and I notice how people say “What’s up?” when they greet one another casually. That’s fine. But this should remind us that more than “What’s up?” we should focus on “Who’s up?” May we always rise above our worldly concerns and be reminded of the presence of God wherever we go, whatever we do, and whatever we are going through.
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My flight to the United States was canceled last Aug. 12. “Aircraft maintenance” was the reason given. But for me, the reason why I took the flight the next day was to be able to pray over and counsel a grieving lady who lost her seven-month-old son, her firstborn. Indeed, there are many things we cannot explain in this life, but with the