“Come to the feast of
heaven and earth! Come to the table of
plenty! God will provide for all that we
need, here at the table of plenty. O
come and sit at my table, where saints and sinners are friends. I wait to welcome the lost and lonely to share
the cup of my love. Come to the feast of
heaven and earth! Come to the table of
plenty! God will provide for all that we
need, here at the table of plenty.” These song lyrics, composed by Dan Schutte, perfectly illustrate
today’s readings where no one has been left hungry.
Although Isaiah pronounces many oracles warning of judgment, the
prophet returns again and again to celebrate in praise and prayer God’s victory
over all the forces of evil and the threats to God’s people. He shares a vision where the banquet table
seats everyone. Where tears and even
death are eliminated. Oppression and
other “reproaches” are removed because God has spoken. The celebration encompasses ALL people who
will see for themselves the one, true, living God.
Similarly, we hear in the Gospel, large crowds are bringing
people suffering from every manner of illness and disability, Jew and Gentile
alike, and Jesus cures them.[1]
All people are fed, all have their fill,
not only a full tummy but also a heart filled with joy, a body that is healed,
and a sense that “I belong at the table of plenty.”
Note the disciples, again, play a crucial role in
distributing the bread and gathering the fragments. Jesus tells his disciples, “I do not want to send them
away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” Jesus’ words are truly not about the food, but much more
about the mindset that someone cares for us. Someone is shepherding the needs of our being.
Love makes our faith whole—the love of
Jesus.
In the Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis writes: “The joy of the Gospel fills
the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are
set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.”
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