If you’re my friend on Facebook, you’d go hungry when you see my feed. It’s full of food posts! It’s not to brag about all the food, but I support friends who are in the food business, especially in this time of economic crisis. Mind you, I don’t get those food for free. I buy them. Why do I do that? Because everybody needs a hand—in business, building a family, and in many areas of life. We all need one another.

Our faith is the most important area where we need each other. That’s why The Feast, or being in community, plays a role in our lives. It makes us feel we are not doing life alone.

We will not know how far our food posts will go. My friend who sells longganiza in Makati had a buyer in Angono, Rizal. Similarly, we will not know how far or who will be transformed by the sharing of our faith—not just on social media but in our everyday lives.

Share and live your faith. You are not doing life alone. You are loved wherever you go! Monching Bueno (ramon_bueno@yahoo.com)

reflect

Where do you spend most of your days? In spreading love or spreading hate?

Father God, thank You for Your love. Help us to share our faith in everything we do. May our lives be a living testimony of Your love and goodness. Amen.

Saint Athanasius, bishop and Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

Like Jesus, Stephen is accused by false witnesses. The people are stirred up against Stephen, yet he is unperturbed and he has the face of an angel. Stephen’s martyrdom is modeled after Jesus. Luke presents martyrdom as a perfect way of following Jesus. May we be inspired in our discipleship to persevere until the end.

⁸ Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, ¹⁰ but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. ¹¹ Then they instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. ¹³ They presented false witnesses who testified, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law. ¹⁴ For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30

R: Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

²³ Though princes meet and talk against me, your servant meditates on your statutes. ²⁴ Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. (R) ²⁶ I declared my ways, and you answered me; teach me your statutes. ²⁷ Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. (R) ²⁹ Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with your law. ³⁰ The way of truth I have chosen; I have set your ordinances before me. (R)

Gospel | John 6:22-29

Let us ask ourselves: What motivates us to follow Jesus as His disciples? We must be inspired to follow Him because of faith and love, and not vainglory. Not giving glory to the Lord is the end of our ministry. Say this mantra as a disciple of Jesus: Everything I do, I do for the glory of God and His Kingdom.

Gospel Acclamation

One does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

²² [After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.] The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. ²³ Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. ²⁴ When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. ²⁵ And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” ²⁶ Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” ²⁸ So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read 2 KINGS 13 - 15 today.

Today’s Gospel is as much a puzzle for the crowds as for me. People were out looking for Him. Who wouldn’t? They got loads from the Lord’s instant community pantry and had their fill even if only a simple and shy boy brought out his humble provisions. There was only one boat that did the crossing to the other side—take note, without Jesus!

The question begged for answers—a two-pronged one, to be honest. It was as much like “When did you get here?” as “How long have you been here?” They were curious but not really. In truth, they wanted more—not information, but more of that filet-o-fish instant fast-food delight. No one walks all the way from one side of the lake to the other to treat Him in bi-polar fashion unless they were out to get something more of what they wanted and needed. They called Him Rabbi, but they questioned His teachings. They wanted Him King but they knew little of what that meant. It was some kind of a love-hate relationship.

Jesus had the perfect opportunity to make them truly impressed by answering their curious question. For it was truly a wonder how He got from one place to the other when the only boat that made it to the other side left without Him. But He was a teacher, not a pleaser. He did not answer their questions. Instead, He told them like it is.

It is a lot like answering questions from local cult members. They ask impertinent questions that have already been answered. They ask the same questions, not to learn the truth, but to prove Catholics wrong and the Church outdated.

There is a time when we need to proclaim the truth that matters. Jesus did precisely that—expose the truth about those who want mere facts, including real miracles, that can corrode genuine faith. And so I ask myself now: Is it really mere social media post details I look for, or am I really looking for even crasser stuff like the crowds were? Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

reflection question

Do you ask Jesus whatever questions you have in mind? Be not afraid or ashamed—He has all the answers.

Lord, give me what I need, not what I say I need. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _____________________________________