by Regina Elaine Vendivil

The Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) community held its last school-wide Thanksgiving Mass along with the celebration of 500 Years of Christianity through a livestream on April 16, 2021, presided by Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, SJ, Former President of the Ateneo de Manila University.

The gospel, taken from John 6:1-15, talked about Jesus, together with his disciples, dividing the five barley loaves and two fish among almost five thousand people in the Sea of Tiberias. 

In the homily, Fr. Villarin, SJ mentioned that whenever we do the sign of the cross, we get to be reminded that God is with and inside us especially in times of emptiness, and not just when we are bountiful of loaves and fishes.

“Our faith begins with a sign. It is a sign of pain and sorrow, a sign of suffering. But it is also a sign of God inside that pain, a sign of love present in our suffering. It is the sign of the cross… The cross is the sign of our pandemic times as it is the sign of our faith. It points to places where people are crucified in our world today and where God is to be found,” Fr. Villarin said. 

He emphasized a message from the First Reading that God-given things and blessing remain eternally, while human possessions do not, and these things from God include Christianity which came to us five centuries ago.

He also reminded the community to not take faith for granted, nor should our faiths be reduced by some posts we see on social media.

“Do not turn faith into something of human origin. It will not last. You will not last,” he added.

Fr. Villarin also stated how we should be thankful for the people who introduced us to God along with our spiritual faith. Moreover, we should also be responsible for answering the call of Christianity and the decision of faith.

He also reminded everyone that despite us not witnessing central events such as feeding the five thousand, or even His resurrection, we must still remain faithful to God through the witness of love and life of those who introduced us to these catholic beliefs.

He ended his homily by saying, “Those who set about loving God never really know what will happen. But they sign themselves with the sign of his cross just the same because they know their love will never be in vain.”