God’s Neat, Let’s Eat

Giving thanks to God in all circumstances

John 6:1-15

The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”  Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.  So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

          I love to go to people’s homes for supper, and I do so almost every night. Sometimes families ask me to lead the Grace before meals. But I always enjoy when the family says their own version of that prayer, and especially when the children lead it. Here are some humorous examples I’ve heard. One child was kind of hungry, so he said simply: “God’s neat, let’s eat!” Here’s one you can use all year long, and even during Lent: “Good food, good meat. Good God, let’s eat!” But during Lent you’d say: “Good food, no meat. Good God, let’s eat!” Here’s one that’s borderline irreverent: “Dear God, Holy Ghost, whoever eats the fastest gets the most!” And in case you started to eat before you prayed, keep this one handy: “Forgive me Lord, I’m a little late. Bless this food that I just ate.” I think these prayers of thanksgiving would make God laugh as much as the rest of us.

          In the gospel today we see that giving thanks is not just for children; it’s something Jesus did, too. Today he performs the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. But notice what he did before everyone ate, the gospel says, “he gave thanks.” How fascinating to think that Jesus, who is the Son of God, also gave thanks. Who knows if he was the first one to pray: “God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen.” As a matter of fact, Jesus had a habit of giving God thanks at key moments in life: when he saw God give wisdom to the simple (Mt. 11:25), when he raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:40-42), and when he was at the Last Supper (Mt. 26:25). In other words, a profound attitude of gratitude permeated Jesus’ words and deeds, because he knew that “God’s neat, let’s eat!”

          My friends, every serious Christian should foster a deep spirit of thanksgiving in our hearts, beginning with thanking God for our food, but also thanking him for everything else. We recently had the funeral for David McMahon. During his final years as he was sick and weak, he would constantly thank people for helping him. He said “thank you” with all his heart, and you could tell he really meant it. Have you ever thanked God for your failures? Scott Hahn once said (I’m paraphrasing), “When we do something well, others grow, but when we do something poorly, we grow.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly learned a lot more from my mistakes than I have from my successes. So, thank God for your flops.

          Indeed, I think it is a mark of Christianity maturity that we spontaneously give God thanks at all times, in all life’s circumstances, because we see that everything comes from his loving hands. Look at it this way: if Jesus, the Son of God, felt the need to give thanks to God, don’t you think we should feel that need, too? God’s neat, let’s eat!

          Praised be Jesus Christ!