What set off this train of thought was reading Pope John Paul II’s letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia where he says: At times one encounters an extremely reductive understanding of the Eucharistic mystery. Stripped of its sacrificial meaning, it is celebrated as if it were simply a fraternal banquet. (10). I have never worked out what he was trying to teach us in this paragraph. I hope my recent posts have shown that any fraternal banquet is sacred, has deep sacrificial meaning, and can inform our approach to the Eucharist.
If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)
Jesus emphasises fraternity as a necessary prelude to the Eucharistic sacrifice, and, as we have seen, fraternity can be nurtured by a shared meal: even a cup of tea or a glass of water in my name …
Perhaps Pope John Paul was afflicted by the modern malaise we have been reading about, the devaluing of eating together. Small wonder, when the protocol of his day demanded that the pope was never seen in the act of eating a meal. While this meant that by refusing to dine with politicians he could not be accused of endorsing their policies and actions, it contradicted the universal message of the shared table.
Pope Benedict chose to announce that he shared meals with his brother Georg and his former student Hans Kung, before setting a new precedent by sharing Christmas dinner with poor Roman people, a gesture that deserves to be remembered.
Pope Francis famously dines in the Vatican guest house refectory where he lives, and, like Benedict, has shared meals with poor people. A good thing too!
Even the preparations for a meal can demonstrate the family’s mutual commitment and love – clearing up afterwards perhaps even more so! Meals can be almost sacramental in solemnity; they can be sacramental because they bring down blessings, perhaps not recognised till later, and sometimes ‘mixed with blistering home truths’ as in Rabbi Lionel Blue’s family. There is no such thing as a simple shared or fraternal meal, and no Eucharist without one.
agnellusmirror 