The dining table is not just a place where we eat food, but it is a place where we share, give, and receive love. Dining together around the table nourishes not only our physical bodies but our mental and spiritual well-being also. Indeed, being together as one family at the dining table can be an opportunity for us to share love and deepen our faith. I think it is safe to say that the dining table is the heart of every family’s home as it is also the heart and the summit of our faith as Catholics. The altar where the priest is celebrating Mass is also called the table of the Lord’s Supper. God wills to share with us in all aspects of our lives and to make Him the center of everything.
In the Gospel of St. Matthew 26:25-29, St. Mark 14: 22-25, and St. Luke 22: 19-23, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, and this institution imprints in all the human history the love of Jesus. Every time we receive the body and blood of Jesus, we are entering into communion with Him. That communion allows and leads us to love like Him towards our family, friends, and for those who need to feel the love of Jesus. The love that we receive from the Lord encourages us to have missionary hearts that naturally flow to share with others.
Advent is a beautiful season to share and deepen our love as we wait for the birth of Jesus. Perhaps it is a good challenge for us to have an extra plate on our dining table and invite a friend who might need some encouragement, help, and love from the silent battles with which they are dealing alone. Advent is a period where we can use the extenders of our dining table and, therefore, increase the love in our hearts. The heart that receives and shares love can properly welcome Jesus. The friend that invited me to have my first Thanksgiving dinner here in this country helped me realize that love can be shared by doing simple things, such as having an extra plate at the dining table.
In today’s Gospel we heard that Jesus’s authority is flowing from Him being a God and from His act of obedience to the Father. We are certain therefore that our faith is rooted and grounded in a solid foundation who is God, the Holy Trinity. We are asked by God to love like Him and to share that love to others. The invitation for us is to do small things with great love as Mother Teresa said. The birth of Jesus in a manger is a concrete sign that everybody is welcome to share in His banquet. May this season of advent assist us to increase love for God and for others.
