June 11, 2010
The Second Half
Body of Christ
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
Once or twice each year we look forward to going to the Red Lobster for dinner with Kate. Today is a Red Lobster day. Kate is in her mid-eighties, and is the mother of nine children, 17 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In spite of the difference in our ages and the fact that we know very few of the people she knows, we love her company and always find more than enough to talk about. What is it about Kate that makes her such a sought after dinner companion? We can think of several reasons. She has aches and pains, but seldom mentions them. Kate reads constantly and knows what is happening in the larger world as well as in our community. She takes great delight in her own life and wants to know what is happening in our lives as well. Her optimism is contagious. These things alone are more than enough to make us want to be in her company.
There is one other thing we share that outweighs everything else. Kate is a woman of great faith and she readily shares her faith with us. Our faith connection with Kate provides our dinners with a common spirit that is difficult to explain to others. Perhaps the simplest way to put it is to say that since the three of us are in Christ, we are of the same body, the same spirit. So, while we look forward to eating together at her favorite restaurant, the real meal is the feeding of our souls by the joyful spirit between us.
Did you ever notice how much of scripture is about sharing food? In the readings this past Tuesday, a hungry Elijah was fed by a poor widow. In return, she and her son had enough oil and flour to survive the famine. In this Sunday’s gospel, a Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner but he provides food with something less than a generous spirit. There are no gestures of welcome. There is no oil for anointing or water for foot washing. Simon, the Pharisee, may have been a wealthy man, but he was not a gracious host. The woman of doubtful reputation almost certainly wasn’t on the guest list, but she brought the one thing the host had failed to provide. In pouring ointment over the feet of Jesus, the woman poured out her gratitude for the love that had made her whole. Without her gift, the Pharisee and his dinner would soon have been forgotten.
Meals are most often shared with other people. Even in nursing homes, some dining room tables are happy places to sit while other tables are places people try to avoid. It is seldom about the food. The spirit shared by the people who gather makes the difference. For those who are part of the Body of Christ, even when we eat alone, we are in the presence of Christ. Whether we are host or guest, every meal is an opportunity to pour out gratitude. Alone or with others, we are always grateful for the company of the One who makes us whole.
Deacon Jim and Ann Cavera are former residents of Evansville; their award-winning column is a regular feature of the Message. Contact them at www.catholicseniorspirit.com.