It is in our human nature to be always hungry for affirmation and thirsting for recognition. We look for signs to affirm ourselves that we are well liked and are successful. The more affirmed we are, the better we feel about ourselves. Affirmation lead us into happiness.

Some people believe in God, some people don’t. Regardless, God believes in every human person. I will always have a huge respect for people seeking the Divine in other religions especially when the life they live is full of goodness. Today I like to focus on people who have encountered the Word of God but choose rather to live on bread alone. Worldly bread.

Some people are distanced from their belief in God because they are enjoying the affirmation they receive for their worldly achievements and possessions. They are happy, they feel good and God is not relevant in life. They continue to fuel this worldly happiness by following illusory desires. Until the path of worldly happiness they follow reaches a cul-de-sac.

Man’s affirmation we realize will become harder to achieve the further we wander down the path. It is simply because the target keeps shifting. We either shift it ourselves or society move it for us. Having more always become needing more. This desire is illusory, deceitful.

God’s affirmation is easier to attain for any person. It is always there, a constant. He is always encouraging us especially when we struggle in life and when we missed that target of worldly happiness. But for some of us, we do not see him until our path reaches the cul-de-sac. Whenever that will be, the guarantee is that God will be there waiting.

So what sign should we look out for to believe in God? It is precisely this. We must embrace this affirmation that whoever we are today we are good enough for God. Once we do, believe it or not, his acknowledged presence in us will be like the yeast in bread.

Desires in worldly things will begin to decrease. Worldly life becomes a bit less complicated while desires for God’s works increase in us. This is yeast-like transformation that gives us new life. It begins with saying that “I want to believe in you” because God truly believes in us.

With new life, we are exchanging old desires for new desires, old self for a new self. We live better because we no longer need to compete for affirmation in worldly things. We are no longer hungry nor thirsty because we now have the bread of life.

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst”

This is the bread of affirmation. It is yeast to true and lasting happiness.

“Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time