Soul food

To be broken and poured

There were two weddings celebrated here this weekend, and there will also be five baptisms before the weekend gatherings of this community are finished.  Two couples invited their families and friends to witness the moment in their lives when they committed themselves to living (along with their spouses) as witnesses of Christ’s love in the world, and three families will present their five children, asking that they be included in this family of believers, and the family of believers gathers here each week for the celebration of the Eucharist.  These are important moments; these are moments that need to be heeded so that the lessons they teach might truly find a home in our hearts.

The book of Proverbs reminds us this week that every time this community gathers, whether to celebrate a wedding, a baptism, the Eucharist or any other sacrament, we do so at the invitation of the One who speaks words of wisdom for our souls, inviting us to eat and drink, inviting us to walk in the way of insight.  Saint Paul reiterates this invitation by encouraging us to be wise about the way we live our lives, because in the words we speak and in the attitudes we adopt people in our world will see the extent to which we ourselves have been nourished by our faith.

Perhaps a few questions will help to focus our reflection for this week:  Do we truly believe that what we receive in the Eucharist is true food and true drink?  Do we truly believe that the Eucharist is not so much a thing that we receive, as it is the body and blood of Jesus, and therefore a person who we receive each week?  Do we truly believe that when we gather for this celebration, Christ himself forgives us of our sins, heals us and restores us?  Do we truly believe that we in turn are then sent into the world to bring life to the world, to be instruments of reconciliation, joy and hope for our world, to comfort and to love as Christ has loved us?  From the moment of our baptism, we ourselves receive these gifts from our God when we celebrate the Sacraments.  Abiding in him, we are then broken and poured out in love for the sake of those we are called to serve.