Come to Dinner

No matter what time it is in the day, my three children always want to know what we are having for dinner. It might not even be close to dinner time and they might not even be hungry, but I can count on the question at some point from all of them. In our first reading from Proverbs, Lady Wisdom has prepared a feast and is inviting people to come, “Come, eat my food, and drink of the wine that I have mixed!”   It is a call to dinner. In my childhood, as we were spread all over the neighborhood, my parents would yell for us, “Dinner!” and we knew to come running without delay from the various neighbors’ yards were we played.  My mother-in-law would ring a bell and my husband and siblings would know to make a run for home.  Now, ALEXA can just announce to all the speakers in the house that it is dinner time.   Sometimes when the call comes, we are delighted because we are starving; other times, we really do not want to stop what we are doing to eat, but we know we must. In our passage from Proverbs, the meal is not just about the food, but about the gathering around the table and the wisdom and understanding that comes from getting that nourishment.

The Bread of Life Discourse from John’s Gospel we have been focusing on the last few weeks continues this weekend and next weekend.  It is Jesus’ call to dinner for all.  And it is Jesus’ call to dinner RIGHT NOW and not just later. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”  Also, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” Notice the present tense here.  This passage is calling forth from us to think about how we are able to have true food and true drink from Christ right now, not just later in heaven. How we can abide in Christ in the present time, and not just when we die, and how we can gain the nourishment and subsistence from Christ now and not just as a hope for later? Very vivid language is used here to point out what this meal really is – Jesus says those who “feed on me” will have life. He emphasizes that His body is true food and true drink. This is truly a gift for the life of the world. The gift of Christ we have in the Eucharistic Meal is continuing God’s care for creation by feeding us with Christ’s very self.

These passages from John’s Gospel help us to really know what is for dinner – it is truly the most intimate connection with the divine, the only One who can give eternal life. Sometimes in our lives, we are really hungry and that call is welcomed and eagerly anticipated. Other times in our lives, it is really difficult to stop what we are doing and come to the feast. In both instances, the food is always there and it has the same power to nourish and fulfill us, and it truly is offered to all. We just have to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”