Can We Ever Get Enough Bread?
Growing up in an Italian household, learning to bake bread was paramount. I sometimes think I learned the art of kneading dough before I could walk. I have early memories of pulling the sticky substance off my fingers and plopping it into my mouth before my grandmother could see me; putting the pans into the oven and marking the oven door with the Sign of the Cross after closing it; smelling the aromas that permeated our house as I anxiously awaited the freshly baked loaves. Bread, at least in our house, was sacred. If we dared to drop a piece, we kissed it, and never… never had to throw it away, because it was coveted and would not go to waste. Now, I must watch each calorie I take in, and sadly, bread is not something I can indulge in anymore. As humans, when things are plentiful or readily available to us, we tend to overlook and take them for granted. But each day, Christ offers us life eternal, simply by partaking of His Body and Blood. How easy it is to pass this sacred opportunity by, because of indifference or culpability.
Today’s feast of Corpus Christi reminds us that we are a community of believers, gathered around the table with our brothers and sisters around the world, all sharing this same wondrous meal. It is both a personal and a social event, and as we kneel in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, we are reminded of Christ’s sacrifice for the salvation of His people. He invites us to worship, adore and partake of Him in loving remembrance of His sacrifice. As we meditate on this precious Gift, we are reminded of Christ’s boundless love for us. We mirror that love in Eucharistic Adoration, which is an expression of our communal and personal love for Christ and our worldly family. My grandmother’s bread never went to waste; nor would I have passed up an invitation to sit at our dinner table. Let us enjoy this Feast prepared and freely given for us, as we go forth to love, as true family, united as one body of Christ in the world!
