A Meal of Love

A Meal of Love 
Homily for Sunday, July 26, 2015
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - B
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi

Today we hear about one of my favorite subjects: Food.  Lots of food.  Enough food to feed large gatherings of people, although it doesn’t seem like it at first. 

Let’s start with Elisha.  In our first reading from second book of Kings, Elisha takes an offering of 20 barley loaves and a few ears of grain and feeds over 100 people.  And, when they are finished eating, there is food left over.

Jesus starts with only 5 barley loaves and a couple of fish, and feeds over 5000!  And there is food left over.  

Think about that the next time you plan on serving a large number of people.  That’d be like trying to feed everyone at the ACTS BBQ dinner (tonight / last night) with a couple of BBQ sandwiches from Rudy’s.  And knowing how much we here at St. Francis love to eat … well, let’s just say that more than a couple of cows might be grateful if the beef had multiplied itself without requiring their sacrifice.

We often hear in Scriptures about food in the context of large, communal gatherings.  For example, there’s the manna and quail in the desert that feeds the Israelites for 40 years; there’s the copious amount of wine created out of water at the wedding feast at Cana; and in today’s Gospel we hear about Jesus feeding the 5000.  Food is often used to show God’s providential nature, and as a metaphor for the grace and mercy of God.  And in all instances, it is God who does the catering.

Those of you who are in the restaurant business, especially those of you involved in catering, know what it takes to host a successful banquet and provide food for a large gathering of people.  It takes planning, attention to details, and a good knowledge of the needs of the people who will be served.  And those of you who have attended such a gathering know whether or not the caterers succeeded. 

And do you know what makes or breaks such an event?  Is it the type of food, or how much food there is, or how hot or cold it is?  No, none of these.  (Well, OK, to be honest, I’ve never known catered food to be served too hot, and cold food CAN be a real turn-off.) 

But, the number one element that measures the success or failure of these events is – LOVE.  Think about the successful restaurants that you know of.  The owners love to serve those who dine there; the staff reflects the love that the management shows to them and to their customers.  Servers smile and laugh; they listen and try to help; they care.  If there is a problem, management is willing to apologize and tries to make amends BECAUSE it cares.

But if there is no love – if all that the management focuses on is the bottom line, what’s in it for them – if they are more worried about the details of the business than the happiness of those they serve, then the business usually doesn’t last long.  Even successful restaurants, if they change hands, can and will fail, if the new management fails to serve their patrons with love.

And love forgives many mistakes.  If you have a bad dining experience, but feel that those who serve you really care for you and show that to you in how they serve you – you are far more likely to return and give them a second chance.  A measure of their success in showing that love is whether or not they remain in business even after making mistakes.

In a sense, the Catholic Church is the ultimate successful catering business.  It has survived really bad reviews and has remained in business for over 2000 years.  Why?  Because the Church reflects God’s love for us.  Because the owner and ultimate manager is God himself.

The most important meal that you will receive today will be served to you in just a few minutes.  It is the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, and NO food has ever been served with the love that God the Father, through His Son, Jesus, has shown to us gathered here today.  And whether or not the “entertainment” portion of this banquet is good or bad; whether there are problems with the service you receive, you KNOW that the meal itself has been provided to you out of God’s infinite love for you.

(I can promise you that the Body and Blood of Christ will not be too hot or too cold, too.)

And so, when you come forward to the table of the Lord, remember that this meal was prepared with love.  Most importantly, the Eucharist IS LOVE – God’s Love – and with God’s love there is always enough, with plenty left over.