Does it bother you that so many people are no longer being fed? We see the need daily on a physical level but what about on the spiritual? Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, we are invited to meditate on the desire the Lord has to feed His people and the shocking indifference we are to this fact.
Do you recognize the passionate concern the Lord has to feed all His people—yes even your wayward spouse or child?
As we consider today’s Gospel, we can discern the desire. Jesus has been teaching the crowds all day by the lake. The text says, 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.
The diagnosis here is that the crowd is hungry. And this is a diagnosis of the human condition in general: we are hungry.
How are we hungry? Let us count the ways. We are a veritable sea of desires. We desire food, drink, life, health, honor, respect, popularity, intimacy, family, security, goodness, beauty, truth, serenity, justice, and so much more. Yes, we have so many desires; we are hungry.
And here lies an insight for evangelization. For Somehow amidst all this hunger, God is calling us. We are like the woman at the well, who came thirsty for the water of this world but was shown by the Lord that she actually desired Him, and that it was only He who could satisfy her.
The Lord feeds us through His Body and Blood, we eat and we are satisfied. We should be instructed in God’s Word and then have that Word cause our hearts catch fire with joy, inspiration, and, yes, conviction on the need for repentance. The faithful should expect and experience a great transformation on account of the Eucharist. How can someone fruitfully receive the Body of Christ and not experience great change and be satisfied?
Sadly we put more faith in Tylenol than in the Eucharist. When we take Tylenol, we expect something to happen: the pain to go away or the swelling to go down. Do you expect this of the Eucharist? If not, why not?
On this Feast of Corpus Christi, understand that the Lord wants to feed you and your loved ones. He wants to do this in order to save you and to satisfy you. Do you care about this? Is this a reality or just a ritual?
Lord, give us a heart like yours. Engender in us the same desire that You have to feed others. Make me a magnet to draw people to You. Help me see and gather those you have put in my charge and help me invite them to sit with me in Mass next Sunday. Amen
Smitten With Goodness 