The Church Bored

Feasting at the table of word and sacrament

06/23/2019

Luke 9:11B-17 Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, "Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people." Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty." They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

There are always two parts to every great feast: (1) the fellowship and (2) the food. Fellowship and food are inseparably intertwined, like grape vines grown together in a vineyard. Let me explain how these two work in tandem at a typical meal. People usually imbibe a customary drink before dinner to loosen the lips and in order to socialize. “In vino veritas,” the old Romans used to say. And the longer you socialize the better the dinner tastes. Why? In Spanish they explain why, saying: “El hambre es el mejor sasón del mundo,” the best seasoning in the world is hunger. When you’re hungry, everything tastes great. What’s more, food tastes better when it is shared among family and friends. Have you noticed you usually eat slower when you’re with good company because you pause to speak? You don’t use your spoon like a shovel. You also eat less when you enjoy a meal in common because eating slower your stomach has a chance to tell your brain it is full before you overeat.

Now, the opposite can happen, too, that is, fellowship and food can not only season each other, they can also spoil each other, if they’re bad. A pastor announced, “There will be a meeting of the Church Board immediately after Mass.” After the end of the service, the Church Board gathered at the back of the sanctuary for the announced meeting. But there was a stranger in their midst, a visitor who had never attended their church before. The pastor politely asked: “My friend, didn’t you understand that this is a meeting of the Board?” The man replied: “Yes, and after today’s sermon, I suppose I’m just about as bored as anyone else who came to this meeting.” In other words, when the fellowship (the sermon) is boring, the food (the Lord’s Supper) will be bland, too. Do you know any Catholics who feel they are on the “Church Bored” (spelled b-o-r-e-d)? Food and fellowship, Word and Sacrament, are closely connected; they will either enhance each other, or they will erode each other.

In Luke 9, we hear about the feeding of the five thousand. You are familiar with the story of how Jesus miraculously multiplies five loaves of bread and two fish into a feast that fed far more than five thousand. But I would suggest to you that Luke also uses this occasion to “foreshadow” the feast of the Last Supper, like a preview of coming attractions. How so? As Jesus performs the miracle, Luke describes our Lord’s actions using four verbs: he took the bread, he said the blessing, he broke the loaves, and he gave them to the disciples: take, bless, break, and give.

Now, fast forward to Luke 22:19, where Jesus celebrates the Passover, the Last Supper. We read: “Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which will be given up for you.” In other words, Luke wants you to see the two feasts in Luke 9 and Luke 22 side-by-side because they complement and complete each other, like pairing a good steak with a fine wine. Jesus feeds the multitude with miraculous Bread, and Jesus still feeds the multitudes (you and me) with the miraculous Bread of the Eucharist, his Body, multiplied for millions.

But we should not focus only on the food and forget about the fellowship that surrounded it. Before the miraculous multiplication and meal, we read, “Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God.” There was a discourse during dinner. And the Last Supper discourse in the gospel of John will cover 4 chapters, from 14-17, Jesus’ farewell discourse. There was only one member of the “Church Bored” at the Last Supper. Can you guess who that was? You got it: Judas, for whom both Last Supper and Lord’s sermon tasted stale.

My friends, may I help you to get off the “Church Bored,” spelled b-o-r-e-d? Here are three tips to help you make the most of the food and fellowship in the greatest of all feasts of faith that we Catholics call the Mass. First, prepare for Mass by reading the scriptures earlier in the week and let them sort of “percolate” like coffee grounds in your head and heart. I usually read the Sunday scriptures on Monday or Tuesday of the week prior and the Spirit starts to inspire my sermons. Come ten or fifteen minutes before Mass to quiet the voices of the world so you are able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. It is a truism that you only get out of something what you put into it. So ask yourself: how much are you putting into the Mass? Is it any surprise, then, what you are getting out of the Mass?

Secondly, fellowship with this community of believers. One thing that makes Our Lady of the Ozarks such a vibrant parish is this close-knit community. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone cares about everyone. People here invest their time, talent and treasure in our spiritual home. And that fellowship not only makes the coffee and donuts taste better after Mass, it likewise makes the Bread and Wine taste better during Mass, and fills the church.

And third, when was the last time you went to confession? I always urge people to go to confession every three months, like how often you change the oil in your car. Your car cannot run on old oil any more than your soul can run on old grace. And when your soul is cleansed of sin then the fellowship and food of the Mass tastes better. Put simply: sin makes the Mass stale, just ask Judas.

Every Sunday we come to be fed at the table of the Word and Sacrament, but sometimes we are not hungry for this miraculous Meal. Why? We’ve stuffed ourselves on the junk food of this world, and we’ve lost our spiritual appetite. Remember what our Hispanics have taught us: “el hambre es el mejor sasón del mundo.” The best seasoning is hunger, and therefore we fast for an hour before Mass. And that's how you get kicked off the church bored.

Praised be Jesus Christ!