A Diet of Love

Learning to live on the love that fed Jesus

08/31/2017

Matthew 24:42-51 Jesus said to his disciples: "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

              Few pleasures are as rich and rewarding as being able to feed other people. Have you ever given someone else something to eat and felt the satisfaction of seeing them be satisfied? There’s a beautiful saying in Spanish that conveys this truism that goes: “Panza llena, corazon contento.” That means when your stomach is full, your heart is happy. That’s why my father’s life-long dream was to run an Indian restaurant. He wanted to feel the joy of feeding others. That’s why my parents can’t wait for me to come home, so they can feed me – and I love to let them feel that pleasure! I don’t feel too bad either. Mothers love to nurse their babies and then post pictures of their cute, chubby babies on Facebook so others can see how well fed their babies are!

             But something more is going on when we feed others than making sure others are not hungry. Even more than making others happy – panza llena, corazon contento – it also make the one who prepares and serves the food happy. Even slaving over a hot stove doesn’t seem too great a sacrifice because of the reward of feeding others. This joy is the taproot of why God created us to begin with. How so? Well, the Second Vatican Council taught this: “Man, the only earthly being God has willed for itself, finds himself in a sincere gift of himself” (Gaudium et spes, 24). In other words, when we feed others, we too are fed: we feed on love, indeed, we not only feed ourselves on love, we find ourselves in love. This is what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples in John 4, when they were worried if Jesus had anything to eat, he said: “I have food to eat that you know nothing of” (John 4:32). Jesus lived on a steady diet of love, which is even better than chicken curry.

               In the gospel today, Jesus also talks about the job and the joy of feeding others. He asks rhetorically: “Who then is the faithful and prudent servant whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?” In other words, Jesus is talking about the job of feeding others, but he’s also referring to the joy of feeding others. And I think we need to interpret this passage of Scripture in the broadest sense possible, that is, not only feeding someone chicken curry like my father wanted to do in his restaurant, but in all the manifold ways we care for each other, the wonderful ways we love each other. Why is that the best interpretation? Well, because then we may feast on the food that nourished Jesus – the steady diet of love – that sadly, many people know nothing about because they’re too busy feeding themselves rather than feeding others. To put it in the language of Vatican II, “we find ourselves by making a sincere gift of ourselves.”

             Let me suggest a few examples of how we can do this. First look for those who are in need, like the victims of the flooding in Texas. Look for ways to “feed” them by providing whatever is within your means to give. A good way is through Catholic Relief Services, but the Sebastian County Sheriff’s office is collecting water and granola bars. Second, give your time and attention to someone. In our busy and rushed world, taking the time to talk to someone and not be distracted by your phone, that is a precious gift. You feed others with your loving attention and compassion. And third, even if you’re confined to your home or hospital, offer up your sufferings and aches and pains for others, especially for those who have left the Church. When I visit someone in the hospital and give them the Anointing of the Sick, and then I ask them to offer up their sufferings for others, and if they can’t think of anyone, to offer them up for me! Or, if you can’t think of anyone else to feed, invite me over for supper, and I would be happy to let you feel the joy of feeding someone who’s hungry.

              “Who then is the faithful and prudent servant whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?” My friends, you and I are called to be that “faithful and prudent servant who distributes food to others.” When we distribute food in the proper time, we discover the joy of Jesus, who had food to eat of which others know nothing of.

Praised be Jesus Christ!