Spiritual Significance of Eating

As Catholics, eating and drinking with our sisters and brothers are central acts to remember what Jesus has done for us. When we receive the Eucharist in mass, that sense in remembrance is heightened as we behold the flesh and blood of Christ himself. John E. Burkhart says that we cannot be worthy enough to gather in the table of the Lord if it wasn’t for the grace of God that bestowed on us. Jesus lays out a feast for us because of the desire to be with us. The meal that God wants us to gather to or in communion with, is one where we can share our humanity with one another and bridge that together with the divine bond. A meal is more than just fulfilling the satisfaction of physical hunger, it is about giving oneself to others and realizing our brokenness.

With our busy lives today, we see meals as the part of the day to do some socializing as well as filling our bellies with quick food. We sometimes don’t have the time to sit down and talk or laugh about the things that is happening around us. It seems routine sometimes to finish eating and get back to the things that we think are more important. But if we think that meals are just merely earthly activity, we are missing the important part, the spiritual significance of it. The purpose of eating is not simply about foods but sharing our lives with each other through the context of a spiritual relationship. We share our blessings, our worries, our anger and fellowships with one another so that we may become more intimate with others, and ultimately with Christ.

A particular meal in the Old Testament, the Passover Feast, represents a covenant meal of bringing God’s chosen people out of Egypt. At the Last Supper, Jesus became the sacrificial lamb for his disciples to eat in order to give us a new and everlasting covenant. We are reminded every time at the altar that Christ has become the bread and wine for us to be nourished. God is the giver of every meal and the host at every table. Every meal is an opportunity to worship and praise God and celebrate the resurrected Christ. Though we may come in many different ways, we are all of one body that shares the living bread and cup of salvation.