SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014

FOOD AND EUCHARIST AS THANKSGIVING

Opening prayer
Good and loving God, on this outset of the Caritas Internationalis Week of Action for One Human
Family, Food for All, we ask your blessing upon the staff of Caritas and its member organizations. May
their message and witness lead us toward a greater understanding of hunger and elimination of this
world scourge. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture passage
Isaiah 25: 6-10a, Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22: 1-14
Reflection
In describing the Kingdom of God and their sense of heaven, both the First Reading and the Gospel offer
us the metaphor of a great feast in which all are invited to attend and partake in the celebration of
abundance and joy.

After reading the parable in the Gospel, I kept wondering, Who would refuse such an invitation?. How
could it be that the King would be faced with such a dilemma? Worse yet, why would some guests go so
far as to murder the messengers? In the Second Reading, St. Paul offers an insight to a possible answer.

St. Pauls experience is that God does indeed provide, but such provisions are brought upon by our
ability to share Gods gifts with one another. In Pauls case, he acknowledges the way that the Philippian
community has helped him throughout his ministry:
You sent me help for my needs more than once I am fully satisfied, now that I have received
from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to
God. -Philippians 4: 16, 18
I find it curious that St. Paul uses the language of sacrifice to describe the donations made by the
Philippian community to him. This may explain the stumbling block for the invited guests who may not
have wanted to partake of a feast that implied a certain social sacrifice on their part. Our Church makes
this connection by celebrating the feast through Jesus own sacrifice which we receive in the bread and
wine. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1397 reminds us that the Eucharist commits us to the
poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the
poorest.
We have a tendency to see the social ministries of our parishes and Catholic Charities separate from the
liturgical worship of our Church but, as the readings and our Catholic social teachings suggest, that is
simply not the case. This Thursday, October 16, the Church observes World Food Day. We acknowledge
the Caritas Internationalis Week of Action for One Human Family, Food for All through this Friday. Let
us dedicate ourselves to making the connection with our Sunday worship and our shared obligation to
participate in the sacrifice of the Mass by sharing what we have with one another. Please get to know
your own parish social ministry and Catholic Charities programs and consider taking part in these
aspects of our Eucharistic celebrations.

John Gonzalez, Parish Social Ministry Developer, Catholic Charities Diocese of Rockville Centre
General Intercession
For the ability of preachers to help the faithful connect the Word of God with works of charity and
justice, let us pray to the Lord.
Catholic Social Teaching
Too often, the call of the Gospel and the social implications of the Eucharist are ignored or neglected in
our daily lives. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church insists, "The Eucharist commits us to the poor.
To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest
(no. 1397).

Source: Catholic Church. A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and to Respect the Dignity of All
God's Children : a Pastoral Reflection of the U.S. Catholic Bishops. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, 2002.