Empty?

The story is told about a mother who told her little boy: “I have a stomachache.” “Why?” he asked, to which she responded: “That’s because my stomach is empty.” The boy was still trying to figure it out when his father walked into the room and said: “I have a headache.” And the boy quickly said with a smile: “I know why.”

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In today’s Gospel (Jn. 6, 24-35), Jesus teaches us that He is the Bread of Life, and that we who partake of Him will never be empty. He further tells us not to work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for eternal life. If only we were as diligent and as passionate in our concern for the provision for our body as for the provision for our soul!

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There is pain that is worse than a stomachache or a headache, and that is a heartache. A stomachache and a headache can be easily remedied, but a heartache is deep and profound—all the sins, feelings of guilt, hurts, fears, anxieties and loneliness within can disturb us, even while we are sleeping. Today, let us look deep into our hearts, acknowledge what is aching, and ask the Lord to cleanse and heal us, so that we can truly be set free from our prisons within. Come, Holy Spirit, we need You!

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An empty heart is a lonely heart, but an empty heart is also a heart that is open to God. In our loneliness, we often desperately turn to people, pleasures and distractions to somehow fill up the emptiness within, but we end up more lonely and empty. Only God can truly fill up our hearts. Only prayer can help us deal with our loneliness and pain. Sooner or later, we will travel that lonely stretch of our journey where nothing and no one can accompany us. There and then, only prayer can guide, direct and be with us.

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One of the saddest confessions I have heard was that of an elderly rich man who was dying. He was materially loaded, but he was emotionally and spiritually empty. On his deathbed, he confessed how he had put God aside in his quest for money and power. And precisely because of money and power, his family was shattered by divisions, quarrels, and envy. “I don’t even know if my children love me, or are just waiting for me to die so they can get their inheritance,” he said.

Sad words from a lonely, empty, broken and dying heart.

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There are a lot of food supplements nowadays for a healthy body. How about for the soul? I highly recommend B-E-E-R daily: Bible, Eucharist, Expressions of love, Rosary. Give it a try. This spiritual BEER can fill up our empty, lonely and aching hearts!

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At our SVD Mission Center in San Jose, Batangas, the rambutan trees that were planted some 10 years ago by Fr. Among Ricafort, SVD, are laden with fruit. It was lonely and scary when he started it all single-handedly in the year 2000. For five years he was alone, and he filled up the loneliness within with prayer, hard work, lots of ground work, and apostolic work. He is now 75 years old, and all the trees he has planted and all the good work he has done will remain long after he is gone. Indeed, we must live in such a way that when we leave this world, we can say that we have worked for food that endures for eternal life.

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There was this big, bright, beautiful “blue” moon last Friday! Many people did not even notice it, or cared, because they were so busy with “more important” things in life. No matter how busy we are, and no matter how caught up we are with material provisions, let us not forget food for our spirit, food for our soul. They are there, they are free, and they are ours for the taking.

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In choosing our future leaders, let us not limit our choice to those who promise that they can deliver all the “goodies.” Let us choose leaders who do us proud, who make us believe in ourselves, and who make us proud of ourselves. Let us choose leaders who give us food but do not rob us of our pride and dignity.

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At the end of our lives, maybe we cannot say to God: “Lord, I loved You all the way, and much!” It is enough for us to be able to say: “Lord, I also really loved You (Panginoon, minahal din Kita)…” It is not so much the works we have done as the trust and the relationship we had with our Lord that really count when we come face to face with Him.

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Think about this: We prepare for natural calamities that might befall us, but are we aware of, and are we preparing for, the political calamities that are already upon us, and will still befall us?

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Some thoughts for the journey: “Don’t educate your children to be rich, but educate them to be happy so that when they grow up, they will know the value of things, not the price. Eat your food as your medicines; otherwise, you have to eat medicines as your food. The one who loves you will never leave because even if there are 100 reasons to give up, he will find one reason to hold on. There is a lot of difference between ‘human being’ and ‘being human,’ and only a few understand it. You are loved when you are born, and you will be loved when you will die, but in between, you have to manage. If you want to walk fast, walk alone, but if you want to walk far, walk together.”

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, fill us up, especially when we are running on empty. Amen.