What feeds you?
Our readings this Sunday all focus on the ways God provides
for our needs, feeds us, in other
words, in ways we can pehaps only begin to appreciate… First, the prophet Isaiah reminds the people
of Israel that God has never failed to meet their physical needs, sending water, wine, and milk for the thirsty and grain for the hungry and poor, those who have no money. More
importantly, though, God meets their needs with food that nourishes the soul,
in the deepest sense: Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may
have life, he says. In other words,
take in my Word, digest it, let it fill you and feed you entirely… for the Word
is more satisfying than any tangible food; it is our means to an ever-renewing covenant with God. These sentiments are echoed in Psalm 145, in
which the psalmist stresses God’s loving willingness to give us our food in due
season, again, with a focus on meeting our spiritual needs with God’s justice, grace, and mercy.
It is perhaps not surprising, then, that this week we hear
Matthew’s version of the Loaves and Fishes, the quintessential example of Jesus
providing for the people with overwhelming love. Taking bread, blessing it, breaking it,
giving it: the point is not just that
Jesus did this, once or twice, but that he does
it, every day, through Eucharist, entering fully into relationship with us,
every day, though we may not be ready for it.
And the implicit message to the disciples – his intermediaries in the
distribution of this communal meal – is that they too are sent forth (as are
we!) to feed others with God’s Word, with God’s infinite love, finding their
need and healing that need with grace. What can separate us from the love of
Christ?, Paul asks the Romans. His answer?
Nothing – nothing on heaven or on earth – can stand between us and the
love of God. We may struggle to live
this love; that is our challenge is a world that is afraid, a world whose
defenses against anguish, distress
and persecution are high. But with open hearts, we are capable of true
justice. Filled with the love of God
present to us in Eucharist, we ourselves are not only fed, we are able also to
feed others, capable of being life-giving to those we meet, capable of being food
for the world.
What feeds you? God’s
love.
Allow it to fill you, so that you might feed others in turn!
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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