THE MASS:
DIGESTING FOOD AND WORDS
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 3rd Monday after Easter is, “The Mass: Digesting Food and Words.”
We spend our lives sitting down for breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks and conversations.
We spend our lives taking in food and words.
Then we move away from tables carrying food in our stomachs and conversations in our minds.
We spend our lives digesting both.
The word “digest” – has in it – the word, "gestation" – to carry.
We take in conversations – we take in words – we digest
them – we listen to them – we chew on thoughts – they become us – for and
against.
READINGS
Today’s first reading - Acts 6: 8-15 - has people coming to listen to
Steven – to try to figure what he’s got – and they get stuff that they don’t
get – and they get against him – words and ideas.
Today’s gospel is from John 6. As John McGowan said the
other day: "It's the Eucharistic Chapter."
And we were taught by Father Gene McAlee, this chapter 6 of John has several levels - which kept on growing. A whole
earlier level centered in on wisdom – which becomes the bread of life – once the early
church digested Jesus – once the wisdom became flesh – once the word became
flesh.
We were talking the other day at table and the name John
Corbett came up. He told me somethng very unique: the only reason he was
becoming a Redemptorist was our rule. He read it and it made sense for his
life.
It is a great document – which we need to digest - and
feed upon.
The only reason I became
a Redemptorist was I saw and digested the Redemptorists as a kid at O.L.P.H Brooklyn, New York.
The only thing I stayed as a priest was this: I began to see so clearly in the Mass is that it is
a meal.
The only way I get the gospels is that it was put together
in the context of meals
The big thing I have digested about the Redemptorists is our
meals together.
Taste and see.
We eat together.
We drink together.
We digest each other.
We become each other.
If we don’t eat each other up, we leave.
If we don’t digest each other, we don’t become Redemptorists – that is this community , this province,
Taste and see.
The Mass of time called our day – is a meal, a mass of
stuff we digest from table and time together.
Someone said the tongue
is forever moving – because the mind is forever moving – taking words, thoughts, deeds, in
through papers, phones, TV, news, talk at table.
Communion with each other - becomes us.
CONCLUSION
Meals and minds together - is how we became who are in our family meals - we digested language - and how to be who were have become.
Life: Becoming us - digesting each other.
Amen.
