It’s All Good / Patti Lamb

Most important food we will eat is at the table of Jesus

It’s only early December, but I’m already envisioning the table at my sister’s house when we celebrate Christmas with my family. I can almost taste my brother-in-law Joe’s perfectly marinated turkey, and Aunt Karrey’s famous homemade Christmas cookies and fudge. (I can’t leave out dessert, which I admittedly sometimes consume before the dinner buffet line begins.)

Then, when we host Christmas at our house for my husband’s family, I’ll get to enjoy my mother-in-law’s cranberry relish, Aunt Melissa’s green bean casserole and Uncle Aaron’s buttery mashed potatoes.

If your family is anything like mine, when you get together, there’s usually a meal. Many family members make their own signature dishes, which I look forward to as I think about the holidays. Even when I meet up with my girlfriends, it’s usually over appetizers.

I can’t pinpoint the source, but there’s a quote I like that goes like this: “Whether it’s served on fine china or a paper plate, food brings us together and stimulates conversation. We feast to wed, mourn, celebrate, strengthen friendships, and to simply be hospitable. Good eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures.”

Now that I think about it, a lot of Gospel stories involve Jesus having meals with people. Sometimes, he ate with friends like Mary and Martha, and other times he ate with tax collectors.

When we gather to eat, we not only nourish our bodies since food is critical for our survival. We also nourish our relationships. We bring each other up to speed on what’s been going on in our lives. We talk about what we pray for, and about what keeps us up at night. Bonding happens over spaghetti and meatballs at the dinner table, or tea and a scone with a friend at the coffee shop.

Food brings us together.

That’s why I was saddened recently when I ran into an old family friend at the grocery, and he told me why I hadn’t seen him at Mass.

He explained that he’s mad at the Catholic Church. He’s disappointed in recent realities that have been brought to light in the news.

“I don’t even know if I’ll go [to Mass] at Christmas,” he said.

I responded with the fact that our Church is run by human beings, and anything run by humans will be flawed. Humans are sinners. Plus I pointed out that the Church has never had a perfect track record. Jesus built his Church upon a rock, but that rock was a human being.

The next week in The Criterion, I saw an answer to a question from Father Kenneth Doyle in his “Question Corner” column. Father Doyle responded to a writer inquiring whether he’s sinning by not attending Mass with this quote: “Why punish yourself because of the infidelity of some clerics? Why deprive yourself of the benefit of the Eucharist, of the comfort that is offered from the closeness to Christ, of the strength for daily living that comes from being nourished at the table of Jesus?”

I cut out the quote and mailed it to my friend, with this handwritten note: “Dear Friend-o-Mine, I think you’re encountering a ‘faith valley,’ and I’m enclosing some wise words I wish I’d thought of when we last saw each other. When I receive the Eucharist, that’s when I feel closest to God. It’s food for this bumpy journey of life, and it leads to eternal life. It’s the most important ‘food’ we’ll ever encounter. I’m praying that you find your way back to his table. Come back to the Feast!”

(Patti Lamb, a member of St. Susanna Parish in Plainfield, is a regular columnist for The Criterion.) †