One feast

Some YouTubers and die-hard fans have theorized that the story of One Piece and the real dream of Luffy is to have the biggest banquet for the whole world – “One Feast”. They pointed out that the major arcs of the long-running shonen manga usually ends with big celebrations between allies who succeeded vanquishing evil pirates. Such an interesting fan theory!

It is fascinating how communal moments of eating and drinking are important elements of epic stories. And if I think about it, I can associate certain food and drinks with wonderful and meaningful memories. The homemade adobo, sinigang, nilaga, and tinola remind me of the comfort of eating with family. Siomai rice, porkchopsilog, and fishballs remind me of my student days. Beer and coffee remind me of friends and peers. Milk and cookies remind me of my wife. I can even recall eating shawarma rice and siomai at the old SPS canteen in DLSU as the food I ate when I began realizing that I was looking at my girl bestfriend into a potential girlfriend-to-be (and now wife! Haha! Baka nilagyan niya ng gayuma yung garlic sauce at chili!)

Maybe Jesus is indeed onto something when He used the Last Supper as an instrument for us to remember Him: “do this in memory of me.” And perhaps the invitation for us is to make use of feasts – no matter how little or how small – as a means to create more meaning for and with one another.

—
Matthew 14:13-21. The feeding of five thousand men

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 213: AUGUST 1, 2022]