A Thanksgiving Meditation

Supper of Thanksgiving

Millions of Americans gather today around the table of fellowship, pausing to remember the blessings and bounty of God Almighty. It is altogether fitting to express our gratitude by sharing  this meal of thankfulness with friends and family alike, as words alone can never plumb the depths of our gratitude.   As is often the case, actions frequently say more than our poverty stricken language will allow.  A shared meal, a handshake or a kiss physically communicates much more than language permits.

The meal Jesus gave us does likewise.  In breaking the bread and drinking the wine, we actively express our unity with the church universal, while simultaneously repenting and recalibrating our lives around the suffering savior.  This Eucharistic meal, stuffed with meaning, energizes the church for mission by communicating the reality of Christ’s historical redemptive act on the cross, as we taste his sorrow and bear witness to His risen reality.  His feast forever keeps you and I from joining in the chorus of the disciples asking:

“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Jesus' real presence here in these shared meals enables us to recognize Him out there, in the face of the hungry, in the hands of the broken and the feet of the needy.  As we celebrate today with bread and wine, may our act of thanksgiving welcome his  broken body at our table as the only suitable nourishment for our souls.