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Our Focus on Eating Wisely
July 16, 2009
By Deacon Tom Beales
The table is set. Are we in a state of grace? Does our one hour fast focus us on what it means to eat wisely, or will we simply feast like fools, and walk away when we have had our fill?
In the first reading, Wisdom calls both the simple and the foolish to eat of her table so that they may gain true understanding. In the gospel, Jesus asks the same. What is this food that wisdom provides and Jesus offers? It is the goodness of the Lord – taste and see. And what is the goodness of the Lord? The flesh of Jesus for the life of the world.
No one fully understands the mystery of Christ or of the Eucharist. We simply come to the table of the Lord acknowledging our need for a deeper understanding. We eat of the goodness of the Lord and discover over and over and over again, that this gift is more than physical food and drink, it is the person of Jesus himself. Feasting on him, we gain understanding and eternal life! Our faces become radiant and our hearts burn with the desire to tell everyone where true wisdom and life can be found.
We all know that Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist, one of our seven sacraments, a sacrament of Christian initiation. We know that Baptism makes us members of the body of Christ, confirmation seals us through the Holy Spirit in our new identity, and Eucharist nourishes us on our life’s journey.
But what do you say “Eucharist” means for you? (Think about it! - Pray on it) I suppose on the surface some may say: Mass, Communion, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. All are correct, but there is also a deeper meaning. Eucharist includes our giving thanks to God for these wonderful gifts, a thanksgiving that is made real when we live a life of self-giving, as Christ did. Eucharist goes beyond the walls of the church building, and characterizes our lives as Christians. We touch and are touched by all on earth and in heaven, saints and sinners, when we are in communion with him. The greatest thanks we can give God, is to give of ourselves to others to build up the Body of Christ.
How do we live this Paschal Mystery? We start by embracing his invitation, gathering every Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist. I’m not talking about regular attendance, routine appearances, fulfilling an obligation. I’m talking about celebrating a mystery that demands our focus and full participation, so much so that we become intimately united with him. Transformed by what we eat, humbled by his sacrifice, finding ourselves engulfed in wonder and awe, on our knees with reverence and respect. Knowing he is literally within us and we are with him. This divine life within us gives way to the promise of eternal life. Happy are those who are called to his supper.
The Bread that came down from heaven is the greatest expression of God’s love for us; it is a gift that is given. This mystery intensifies our union with Christ, separates us from sin, increases harmony among the faithful, commits us to the poor; here we find the strength for daily dying and rising, our giving of self for the sake of others so that we all might share more abundantly in the divine life of Jesus. How can we afford not to say Amen?
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