Worth All the Points

Exploring how inspired authors play words with friends

01/07/2025

Mark 6:34-44 When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat." He said to them in reply, "Give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Are we to buy two hundred days' wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see." And when they had found out they said, "Five loaves and two fish." So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all.

Have you heard of one of the most popular games to play on your phone or Ipad or tablet called “Words with Friends”? Think of the classic board game called Scrabble but on steroids. Our ladies in the church office talk about it at lunch. One reason this game is so addictive is that you can play up to 40 different games simultaneously, and hook up with friends or even with perfect strangers. If you like toying with words, enjoy engaging with people in your spare time, and want to increase your vocabulary, this is the ideal game for you.

In the gospel today we see that the inspired authors of Scripture also played a sort of “words with friends.” How so? Well, they used different words to convey the central truth of faith that Jesus has come to save us and he saves us by giving us himself in the Eucharist as Bread and Wine.

For instance, today in Mk 6:41 we read about four key words that point to the Eucharist during the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Mark writes: “Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to [his] disciples to set before the people.” The four critical words with friends are taking, blessing, breaking, and giving.

If you skip ahead to the Last Supper, we read in Mk 14:22, “While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take it, this is my body.’” In other words, St. Mark is playing a sort of Scriptural “words with friends” and his friends in faith (you and I) will see how much his words count because they touch the central mystery of our faith, namely, the Eucharist. Those 4 words are worth a lot of points.

Another word our inspired Scripture author friends used to spell the Eucharist was where Jesus was born, that is, Bethlehem. You probably know that the etymology of Bethlehem is literally “house of bread.” And it was no accident of history, or merely crowded inns, that caused Jesus to be born in a manger – a feeding trough for animals.

Rather, it was the fulfillment of Micah 5:1, which reads: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from old, from ancient times.” That is, Micah, one of our “words with friends,” had preprogrammed the hearts and minds of the people of God to expect that the Messiah would one day not only lead us but feed us. This Baby would become Bread, the Eucharist.

Well, you might ask, “What about the word ‘Eucharist’ itself? Where do our inspired friends use that word in the Bible?” I’m so glad you asked! We find it in Mt 26:27, describing Jesus at the Last Supper: “Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you’.” The English words “gave thanks” were originally written in Greek as “eucharistesas,” where we get “eucharist” meaning “giving thanks.”

When I celebrate Mass for my parents in their home on Fridays, after my dad receives Holy Communion, he says: “Thank you, Jesus, for coming to me. Wash away my sins with your Blood.” I think the longer we live and the wiser we get, we will begin to see everything in our life as a gift, especially the Eucharist.

And there will only be one thing left to say in the end: “Thanks,” in Greek “Eucharist.” Have you ever wondered why so many elderly people love going to Mass even during the week? It is not because they are making up for all the Masses they missed when they were young. They have figured out what life is really all about: everything is gift, and our job is just to give thanks.

And here is a final “word with friends” not originally from Greek but from Latin, namely, “Mass.” Where does that word “Mass” originate? It comes from the dismissal at the end of Mass, in Latin, “Ite missa est,” translated as “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” There are other options for the dismissal, like “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” Or, as Deacon Greg likes to say dramatically, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”

But I like this simpler dismissal because that is the way Fr. George Tribou always ended the Mass at Catholic High School. And when I use that form of the dismissal, it reminds me of him, and I feel I carry on a little of his enormous legacy. So this last “word with friends” – the Mass – did not come from an inspired author of Scripture, but from a very inspiring friend and mentor.

Folks, every time we come to church, be ready to play “words with friends” or a spiritual Scrabble on steroids. If you are good at this game you will be able to use words like “take, bless, break, and give,” or “Bethlehem,” or Eucharist,” and even “Mass.” All these words are used by our friends in faith to teach us about the central mystery of our salvation. And that mystery is worth all the points.

Praised be Jesus Christ!