Thank God

The deep meaning of being fed by God is the strong background of the Scripture texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the celebration of The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Father LarryGillick SJ ties the celebration of the Eucharist as a meal to the ritual and communion of the family meal. His recollection that his mother worked hard to prepare a “just enough” meal for the family brought with it the family requirement of not being able to say “I don’t want this”.  Father Larry touches the deep chord of regret we feel to hear that expression being used by people about receiving the True Presence of Jesus through participation in the Christian Eucharistic Meal. Friar Jude Winkler concludes his reflection with the comment on the way the Eucharist satisfies the hunger of our heart for intimate relationship with God. In the Gospel from Luke and the other synoptic Gospels, Jesus instructs the disciples to “(You) give them something to eat.” (Luke 9.13, Matthew 14.16, Mark 6.37). The role of the Shepherd (Friar Jude puts the Gospel in the theme of Psalm 23) to care and provide will be the mission of the followers of Jesus as they incarnate His Life through the Eucharist. We will find in this acceptance of Jesus, great motivation, like King Melchizedek of Salem in the text from Genesis to offer thanksgiving to God. The thanksgiving gestures and practices of the Corinthians had drifted to having special consideration for the rich and wealthy in the gathering for the Eucharistic meal which prompted the letter from Paul to bring them back to the communion with Jesus which includes feeding and caring for the family of all people. Our gathering in Love to Love so invites us to share in the transcendent, miraculous, infinite, timeless and eternal. How can we say “I don’t want”?