Archive for September 2021

Luke comes to the end of his gospel with a meal that looks to the future of the Church and its mission. This last of the ten meals in Luke and the first meal with the full assembly of the church is a “to be continued” episode. Those at this meal (Lk. 24:36-53) must accept…

Luke’s Gospel with its ten meals and eucharistic overtones ends with a three-part description of the Resurrection. The first story recounts two visits to the tomb, one by women and one by Peter. The second story is the Emmaus story, and the last story is the final meal with the community in Jerusalem. All three…

We hear “This is my body” and “This is the blood of the covenant,” phrases that mark the bread and wine with Christ’s name. Eating and drinking food marked with Jesus’ name isn’t enough. It’s not the food alone, but the mode of being food for others that validates the Lord’s Supper and allows it…

If Jesus were coming to your house tonight for dinner, would you be just sitting here reading this blog? Well, Martha had this experience, and we know how that went. Martha was “busy with all the details of hospitality” while her sister Mary sat at the Lord’s feet. Martha’s problem had a perfect solution: “Jesus,…

Luke’s gospel puts Jesus on a journey ever onward to Jerusalem where his mission will be fulfilled in his death, resurrection, and ascension. As we walk the journey we see how the Eucharist is part of the journey filled with reconciliation, miracles, evangelizing. In the famous story of the multiplication of the loaves at Bethsaida,…

Jesus was eating again! Apparently table conversation gave Jesus great opportunity to evangelize. Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner (Lk. 7:36-50). You remember the story in which a weeping woman anointed Jesus’ feet. When Simon, the host, noted this, he thought to himself that Jesus was certainly not a prophet. Jesus, knowing his thoughts,…

Jesus called Levi to follow him, and “Levi stood up and became his follower.” The reception for Jesus didn’t follow immediately, although it’s the next verse. Time was needed to prepare, but “after that” Levi invited Jesus and a large crowd to his home. Two important questions marked this gathering as a symposium meal.  First,…

Which pair of glasses do you wear when you read Scripture? One pair may help you see far; that is, you are able to read the passage with a view to the future when “thy kingdom come(s).” Another pair may bring Jesus and his teachings up close. “Oh my! That’s me in that story!”  Recently…