Man and Manna

Sharing in God’s desire to feed each other

12/02/2020

Matthew 15:29-37 At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.

One of the most fundamental human activities is feeding each other. That is what made this past Thanksgiving so strange and so sad. We could not gather around the table and feed each other. Let me hit a few highlights of how we feed each other from birth to death. Mothers should breast feed their babies within an hour after their baby is born. Doctors universally agree about the health benefits of breast feeding for baby as well as for mother. Later in life, mothers make lunches for their children before school. I know one mom who loves to pack lunches for her children and hides little notes in their lunch box to inspire and encourage them. She writes: “Mommy loves you!” “You will be great today!” And “Eat all your vegetables!”

My favorite part of every wedding – and frequently a funny part – is when the couple feed each other with a small piece of wedding cake. Feeding each other with cake is a symbolic gesture of how they will feed each other – take care of each other – for the rest of their lives. I am deeply grateful to Fr. Daniel during my quarantine who brought three meals to my room every day, and at 4 p.m. every day brought me coffee and a cookie. When someone is dying in a hospital you are required by law to feed them, called nutrition and hydration. In other words, from the first hour of life until we take our last breath, the most fundamental fact of human life is feeding each other. Feeding signifies love, intimacy, and caring.

Our scripture readings today tell us feeding each other is not only profoundly human, it is positively divine. That is, we imitate God when we serve each other supper. Isaiah 25:6 says: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines.” In the gospel of Matthew 15:32, Jesus says: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.” Like the mother breast feeding her baby, like the wedding couple putting wedding cake in each other’s mouths, like Fr. Daniel bringing me coffee and a cookie at 4 p.m., so God the Father and God the Son deeply desire to feed us.

And lest you think Isaiah 25 and Matthew 15 are isolated instances, let me point out how feeding punctuates the bible from beginning to end. Genesis 1:29 tells us how God will feed Adam and Eve: “God also said: See I give you every seed bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food.” Apparently, God expected us to be vegetarians! Just kidding. He also commanded us to eat lamb in Exodus 12. The famous Psalm 23 about the Good Shepherd promises: “You set a table before me in front of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.” And the last book of the bible (Revelation) leaves us with little doubt about how God wants to feed us, indeed it looks a lot like a couple on their wedding day putting a piece of wedding cake in each other’s mouth. In Revelation 19:9, John writes: “Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” In other words, feeding each other is not only an earthly activity, from birth to death, but feeding is the fundamental activity of eternity. God will feed us forever in heaven.

With all this background – what we do in feeding each other, and how God feeds us – we can appreciate why the Mass is a meal. Have you ever wondered why the most sublime and spiritual activity for Christians involves something as earthy as eating? Consuming Holy Communion requires you to munch and chew, and even the way the priest purifies the sacred vessels demands he consume the water he uses to cleanse the cup. I hate to admit this but sometimes I have to burp. Mother Church has to burp her babies after she feeds us with the milk from her abundant breasts (cf. Is. 66:11). Why should our highest and holiest form of worship be something so bodily as eating and drinking? Because Jesus came down from heaven not only to be a man, but to be manna, that is, to be bread. He came not only to save our souls but also our sarx (that is Greek for "flesh"). Jesus came to save our body and soul, and that is why the Mass is a meal and not just a bible study.

In the fourth petition of the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer, we ask: “Give us this day our daily bread.” God answers that prayer when he gives us his Son as the Bread of Holy Communion. God sends his Son to earth at every Mass, not only to become a Man, but to become Manna. The most fundamental human activity is feeding each other.

Praised be Jesus Christ!