Spiritually hangry

John 6:35-40. I am the bread of life

The feeling of hunger plus anger (feeling “hangry”) is very powerful. These emotions seem to indicate that a person is in “survival mode”; the body and hormones signal to the mind the need to prioritize oneself first, to eat and to find a safe space. Our stomachs feel empty; our minds easily irritated at slight inconveniences. This is what being physically hangry means.

However, it’s harder to describe spiritual hunger plus anger. Is it that nagging void inside one’s head and heart? Is it that creeping anxiety that can lead to questioning and doubting God? Is it the feeling of languishing, drowning amidst a billion voices, feeling irrelevant? These experiences create a vicious cycle, like a child drowning in a quicksand.

It is in experiencing spiritual hangriness where we can appreciate simple yet encompassing principles of our faith: to love. That the other name of God is Love, and that Jesus is the Bread that can infinitely give a piece of Himself to commune with us. We’re invited to choose meaningful suffering as well as meaningful celebrations; but beyond the thorny crowns and heavy crosses we’re supposed to grit through, we can take comfort in the fact that the default of life is love.

And maybe, love can nourish the spiritually hangry.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 124: MAY 4, 2022]

What does it mean to be nourished?

John 6:22-29. Food that endures for eternal life

The accessibility of restaurant deliveries, GrabFood, and FoodPanda may make it easy to take for granted how precious food can be. We have developed various rituals when it comes to consuming food — snacking during recess, desserts and treats as rewards, buffets and function rooms for milestone celebrations, “pantawid gutom” in between busy moments, so on and so forth.

But do we eat because we want to be full? For a person who is hungry, perhaps such is the value of food. But for a fortunate person who can summon food on a tap of a finger, food does not merely make one full. It can satisfy a craving.

But the miracle of the multiplication of bread can be framed as a story not of consumption, but of giving. And in this sense, this is aligned with the message of Jesus to focus on giving instead of mindlessly consuming.

In consuming food, maybe we can become full; but in giving food and a piece of ourselves, maybe we can become nourished.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 122: MAY 2, 2022]

We are afraid of things we do not understand

John 6:16-21. It is I. Do not be afraid

We are afraid of things we do not understand. We fear the unknown and the uncontrollable.

“It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Perhaps this is an invitation to gain insight into the Primary Insight, and this is precisely the means to overcome being afraid. In this sense, to be intelligent in insighting is to be courageous.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 120: APRIL 30, 2022]

How should we make sense of the wrath of God?

John 3:31-36. The wrath of God

The Old Testament has shown numerous instances of the seemingly wrathful side of God. In the New Testament, we have also witnessed Jesus being angry at those who have turned a place of worship into a place of business.

Perhaps it is this kind of righteous wrath that could instill that healthy form of “fear”, as in fear of God. But what do and should we precisely fear? Is it punishment? Is it hell?

To me, it’s more meaningful to fear disappointing God, similar to how we fear disappointing our parents, friends, and loved ones who have put their belief in us. At least, the example of Jesus shows an example of divinity that is not vengeful nor spiteful; thus, God does not direct His wrath on us, but to our sinful actions.

We should fear His wrath towards our actions, not because we fear that He may hurt us; but we fear that we have hurted Him.

If we fear hurting the ones we love, what more hurting Love Incarnate?

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 118: APRIL 28, 2022]

How can we know more about heaven?

John 3:7b-15. “You must be born from above.”

My attempt at daily reflections has led me to arrive at a tentative insight: that our knowledge of heaven and the True Good can only be retroduced, as in, inferring causal mechanisms and interactions between entities through events we may directly or indirectly experience. In a way, my understanding is informed by the philosophies of Aquinas and Lonergan, and I appreciate how beautiful the notion of having the Primary Insight and Intelligent Designer as characterizations of God.

We can better know God through systems and ecologies that just make too much sense or are just so beautifully complex that it seems unreasonable to say that everything happens by accident. The opportunity for different entities to interact harmoniously, for me, suggests the beautiful mind of a Creator.

Knowing about heaven is indeed an iterative journey; testing the limits of our reason by tempering it with faith.

And in a way, aren’t managers and entrepreneurs capable of letting us have a taste of heaven by designing benevolent, just, and harmonious organizations? There is something romantic about framing our journeys as virtuous cycles, always in a state of betterment and flourishing.

In this sense, maybe heaven is less about a “perfect state” but more about a “virtuous cycle process”. If managers and entrepreneurs embrace a more humanistic and ecological vocation, maybe organizations, like churches, can help bring heaven on earth, even for just a little bit.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 116: APRIL 26, 2022]