Homily: January 7, 2024, Tuesday after Epiphany (Eat be Satisfied)

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 "They all ate and were satisfied."

We all need to eat, but we are not always satisfied.

As a pastor, I often visit families and meet up with people, and having food always helps to break the ice and ease the conversation. Thankfully, one of my pastoral strengths is that I enjoy food, all kinds of food!

In this parish, I’ve been blessed with invitations to many homes, and I get to enjoy a variety of cuisine. There is Sudanese goat and fried fish, Burmese rice porridge and beef, Eritrean injera and chicken stew called Dorowat, Laotian sticky rice and fish soups, and of course, American, Italian, and Irish dishes.

I enjoy all these different foods, but what really satisfies me are the conversations, the life stories, the small talks with the hosts, the communities that surround these meals. 

Imagine if I were to eat all these delicious foods alone every day, I would be fed but I would not be filled.

What makes a meal truly satisfying is not just the food — it is the love that comes from the preparation and cooking, the people and company at the meal. The more love, the greater the satisfaction.

I remember once when a Hispanic family invited me for dinner. The mother was anxious about whether I would enjoy the food. She told me, “Father, I don’t know if you will like the food I prepared, but it is made with so much love.” I was so pleased even before I ate the food.

One of the messianic prophecies about Jesus was that He would feed the poor and they would be satisfied. Psalm 22, a messianic psalm, says in verse 26: “The poor will eat and be satisfied.”

When Jesus saw the crowds in today’s Gospel, He was moved with compassion, He saw their hunger - physically and spiritually. So He fed them well with both physical and spiritual food. He loved them and they were satisfied.

The first reading today affirmed "In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins."

God sent His Son to remove our hunger and our sins. His great love for us is contained in the Holy Eucharist. It is not a meal that helps us last the day, but a banquet that helps us last forever, prepared with infinite love.

St. Andre Bessette said, "If you ate only one meal a week would you survive? It is the same for your soul. Nourish it with the Blessed Sacrament."

As we receive the precious Body of Jesus in Holy Communion, let us appreciate deeply the love of Jesus truly contained in the Eucharist. And let us partake of this Holy Banquet every day and be satisfied. Amen!


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