A couple of tourists were busy sightseeing in Milan, Italy.  Now that they have heard so much about “Da Vinci Code,” they were particularly interested in viewing Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting of the “Last Supper.”   They tried to follow the vague directions given to them by their hotel clerk, but they soon became lost.  Since they spoke no Italian, their several attempts to question a passerby ended in failure.  Finally they drew a rough sketch of the Last Supper on a pad and showed it to the locals they met on the street, and twice the directions they received led them to nearby restaurants.

It is easy to imagine that if Jesus were physically present in our own town today, we might find him in a restaurant, sharing a meal with friends.  For example, in today’s gospel lesson, two of Jesus’ disciples are talking about what happened when they encountered the Risen Lord on the road to Emmaus.  At first they didn’t recognize him.  But then they sat down to eat.  And Jesus “took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them.  Their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”  There was another occasion on the seashore of Tiberias, where he revealed himself at a meal in the morning.  There are many other New Testament scenes in which Jesus shares a meal with others.  In setting down the story of Jesus’ life and ministry, the New Testament writers placed a certain emphasis on mealtimes, bodily nourishment, obviously with good reason.   It is often in the mealtime context that Jesus points the way to our spiritual nourishment.

It was during the Passover meal, the Last Supper, that Jesus instructed his apostles and those who followed, to never forget that he will forever be their source of spiritual nourishment.  As they sat at table, Jesus broke and shared the bread with the apostles saying: “This is my body which will be given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In one of the long discourses, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never be hungry.  This is the bread that came down from heaven.  Anyone who eats this bread will live forever.”  Christ Jesus is our source of spiritual nourishment, and of our fulfillment.  Christ is the power we need to grow into the kind of persons God created us to be.

A man who had been a waiter most of his life was on his deathbed.  He said to his wife, “I’ll be on the other side waiting for you, and if you ever want to talk to me badly enough, I’ll come back, I promise.”  Some weeks after the waiter died, his wife decided that she must speak with him again.  Consequently, she sought the assistance of the town’s leading spiritualist.  “Just knock on the table,” advised the spiritualist, “and he will hear you.”  So the wife knocked once, then again more loudly, but nothing happened.  

Then she really hammered on the table, hollering, “Morris, you just come here quickly, or else!”  There was a flash of lightening and roar of thunder, and Morris stood before her, big as life.  “Morris,” she said, “You heard me knocking.  Why didn’t you come?”  The veteran waiter explained simply:  “It ain’t my table, honey!”  To be what we ought to be in our relationship with God and in our relationship with one another, let us come to the “Table of the Lord” gladly and often.

We wish to thank all of our parishioners who have been mailing in or dropping off their donations, and those who have signed up for Online Giving.  We appreciate your generosity and desire to continue to support the parish.  

Please note that we have upgraded our Online Giving Platform.  It is very user friendly.  If you shop or do your banking on-line please consider this format for your donations.  You have the option to make a one time gift or set up a recurring cycle that suits your timing and budget  You can visit the site by clicking the button below.

If you would like to make a one time donation to our Sunday Collection, please click on the button below.  

This weekend's second collection is for the Parish Emergency Fund.